Stasis
by Heather Anderson
Summary: When Martouf woke he had no idea where he was, how he got there — or even what had happened to Lantash. From there things only got worse. [A Martouf and Sam adventure.] Complete.
1. Awakening

Title: **STASIS**

Author: **Heather Anderson**

Email: 

Rating: pg-13

Pairing: Sam/Martouf

Archive: please ask.

A.N.: see author page

Summary: When Martouf woke he had no idea where he was, how he got there — or even what had happened to Lantash. From there things only got worse. A Martouf and Sam adventure.

Spoilers: early Tok'ra eps.

Status: complete.

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Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, GM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the authors. Not to be archived without permission of the authors.

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One

Awakening

Timeless for so long. Images of gold chambers, gold hallways and dark lights. Flashes of sunlight, bright green meadows, and dirt paths in between true memories. New images for seconds, no more. Something was there, always there in the back of his mind. Or in the front? Martouf didn't know or wonder at all.

One day the light came back. It flooded through turning the darkness red. He rose off the hard cold floor, sitting and opening his eyes. Colours slowly bled through the blinding white. When he had enough of them the room before him was clear. He recognised the gold chamber – must have caught a glimpse of it while he was resting. He got to his feet and moved forward to where a mirror hung on the wall.

_My face. Not my face. That is (not) my face!_

He looked into it seeing, once again, the face that had always belonged to him. The calm expression in his light eyes. Not transformed. Not…malicious.

He stared for a second more then turned around and searched within himself for Lantash.

_Nothing._

He frowned and searched once more.

_Something else._

He stepped back – felt it again. That _Someone… else_. He searched the room fast for some clue as to where he was. It was no use. Merely ordinary living quarters. He stood at a loss, in the centre of the room, waiting in defeat for the thing inside of him to rise and take control.

Then, in an instant, he shook himself and decided to use the time he had. He left the room and made his way quickly down the gold halls, knowing that if he just kept moving he might have a chance.

He had to find Lantash. The thought that he would already be dead churned within him.

Room after empty room. Where was everyone?

_For a Goa'uld's fort this is unnervingly peaceful and empty,_ he thought.

He skipped the rest of the rooms in the halls, finally stopping dead at a grand set of doors.

As he looked up at them he felt the seconds of time hit him as they fell. He took a deep breath and activated the door.

There was no one there. He let out his breath and surveyed the chamber. A large table, all sorts of information devices scattered around, weapons too, beautiful collections of them in alcoves. He entered one and lifted two zat'nik'atels off the wall, one for each hand, wound a protective fabric around his torso under his clothes and a added holsters: taking the chance that the thing in his mind was nicer than whatever else was around.

He backed out, turning slowly by some mirrors, as was his habit before any mission. He froze, seeing in the mirror in front of him the reflection of another mirror behind. He reached his fingers back to wipe the back of his neck. His hand came back red. That was what he had thought he had seen. He tested it again, higher this time. His heart pounded into his ribs. There was a break in his skull. He fell to his knees slumping his head forward. He had to touch it again. He had to see if the thing was still in there. He was going to black out if he didn't breath. Black haze swirled around his face until he forced himself to.

He lifted his right hand, just looking at it a while. It seemed steady enough. Without thinking he pressed his pointer and middle finger through the break and poured his focus into them alone. All soft but for a few tiny fragments.

He sat back on his heels. The serpent had left. He didn't care why. He could still move, every second counted. It took a few tries but finally he was on steady feet again. He walked towards the door. As he opened it a glimmer caught his eye from the side. He turned eyes, then body towards the source, a shelf of Canopic jars.

He walked closer to it to see what the labels said, picked one up in his clean hand but it fell from his shaky grasp and smashed over the floor. Amongst the pieces a dark form came to life and slithered around reaching for his ankle. He jumped back, watching it die in the air like a fish and frowned. The system lords had never kept larvae like that.

_That was too old for a larva._

He looked up at the shelf, this time turning a jar in its place. If he could find a name that meant something…

_Rettaw of Akemba_

_Destar of Angqet_

_Ilniy of Arfor_

He checked a lower shelf.

_Sivkhet of Miitedur_

He knew that name. Somehow he knew she had been a _sholva_. He repeated that word to himself. It felt like ice in his mouth. These simbiotes had all been 'traitors' to the Goa'uld. Then he remembered how he had gotten there. The last mission, the failure.

He walked around the shelf. The jars had been ordered by home planets and Lantash had never known his. At the end of the third shelf were the jars with only first names. He was crushed to find Lantash was not among them. He looked again, three and four times. He stood and walked around the other side again to start from the beginning. Whoever this place belonged to might have thought they knew where he came from. He quickly glanced around the chamber to see if he'd missed any more shelves.

Martouf's gaze stopped on a solitary alabaster jar on top of a few maps on the table. He rushed forward but tension tightened and slowed his muscles. It is, or it isn't, he thought, trying to make it simpler. He turned it around.

_Lantash of Tok'Ra._

Blood raced through his body all too fast. He didn't know what to do. The Last one had been alive when he broke the jar, would Lantash be if he simply opened this one? He looked back at the shelves, considering opening one with someone else in it. He couldn't do that, though. He had already killed one of them.

He didn't risk holding the jar in his hands to open it. There was a chair Nearby and he moved it to the table and sat down. He slid the jar towards him overthe tabletop and took hold of the lid. A wave of panic had to be fought back quickly. He could still feel the cold and wetness trickling down his neck.

Last chance, he told himself and turned the lid around and around until it lifted off. Peering inside he saw the serpent starting to move, starting to swim in the liquid filling the jar. It looked up at him with its black eyes and knew what to do.


	2. Escaping the Fort

Two

Escaping the Fort

Martouf stood in complete silence within a narrow empty alcove eavesdropping two jackal headed soldiers. They had neither noticed what was misplaced nor the red touches of blood over objects in an otherwise immaculate room.

He was getting nervous with this turn of events. He raised his head to check things out and was knocked back in shock. Opposite him a figure had done the same – what a terrible fright! Pulling his fingernails from the hanging cloth behind, he made a disgraceful gesture at the clone image realising too late the implication that his reflection was in full view.

He cringed a split second before Lantash's tirade… it never came. It couldn't. Lantash was still on that table.

The soldiers were staring in his direction.

"That's incredible," one said, making slowly for the door but studying with detached interest.

The other simply shook his head and followed.

Martouf frowned a moment, stepped out and looked back at the mirror. The cloth torn by his hands was unseen and there was an art work set into the alcove unlike anything he'd ever seen. Projected there was a battle between Anubis and Ra who stood on opposing sides of a valley of corpses. Holographic clouds and light circled overhead, cracks of thunder and Ra's red emitted sunshine was eaten by the flooding shadow of the jackals.

Feeling extremely lucky, he ran across, grabbed the canister, stuffed it into the protective fabric and sprinted through maintenance sections and corridors picking up clues and memories as to the planning of the fort along the way. Finally he found a duct map and made it to a series of drums in a large, dim room. He knew from the type that heated, clean, water flowed through a series of ducts from each and then ran out into the sea. That's how it was supposed to work anyway.

He pulled the tarpaulin cover back and looked down at the dark water, held his palms over to feel for steam. Satisfied he tested the water. Very warm but not hot, the generators must be off. He jumped in, sent a silent prayer that this wouldn't lead him into a warlords shark pool, took a deep breath and swam for the exit.

Eyes closed, hands over his face (he had no chance of seeing anything anyway let alone stopping if he did), he sped feet first and very fast and painful on the turns, lungs screaming to breath at every knock. His now straightened arms pushed at the sides of the tunnel trying to slow but friction in that temperature wasn't worth it.

_Patience. Patience. Soon we will rise,_ he told himself.

After five minutes he was tiring in the heat – soon to drift to a frightening sleep. Thinking himself at home and already asleep he turned and exhaled a sigh. A moment later, the metal walls fell away. A coldness flew around his body growing icy, he gasped in water and struggled to break heavily and coughing through the surface. He crawled in the water and opened his eyes to find the shore to the right and a busy city in the evening.


	3. The Child

Three

The Child

Martouf wandered through the city avoiding the bright coloured lights and many groups of armed youths who knocked into him as they ran through bitter smoke in the hushed side streets until he found a dead end alley so rancid surely no one would enter to disturb him.

There in the darkness between glowing windows, collapsing and further weakened by hunger he knelt unsteadily until he regained his balance and wiped his face and hands with the hem of his blue tunic to clean off the black oil from the generator vent and looked uneasily around at the gaps between the curtains above, then pulled the jar from under his shirt.

Holding it in his hands as still and firm as he could, yet gently so as not to crush it though he knew he didn't really have the strength, he placed it on the ground then twisted off the lid. He tilted it slightly to see inside, trying not to fear. Shaking with fatigue he bent over it. A second later, stunned by the force of the symbiote, he rocked back and slumped, falling onto the hard ground.

The city was beginning to lighten when the early workers came out with oil lamps, casting hazy light into the side streets. A small figure in a window high above spying through the gap between the curtains and stood watching for many an hour the man who lay as dead.

Then downstairs past his mother who didn't hear from kitchen he crept to crack open the front door and stuck his head out to look around. Though sunlight poured through everything strengthening colours and the shadows between houses, the night's mist hadn't lifted yet so he snuck outside and around into the alley stretching his pyjama collar up over his nose and looked closer at the body lying on its side on the dusty grey pavement stones. The man had been a guard, with dark blonde hair and a faint pinkness remaining in his lips, manicured fingernails and Niki noticed the shine of a gold chain hanging from the man's neck.

He pulled it until it slipped from inside the shirt and a medallion hanging from it hit the ground like a heavy gold coin., depicted on it was a black snake winding itself around a burning silver sword.

_Its not like he needs it now,_ he hid it in a small pocket.

Some soldiers came lumbering by in a group and stopped outside the front of his house as two of them walked over to knock on the door. Niki had to make his escape and get back inside. He scanned the dead end and saw amongst the garbage a frail pile of crates. He climbed onto them and found a small, high window he couldn't have seen from the ground, he pried it open and grabbed the sill as his footing collapsed. Managing to pull himself up he fell over the to other side of the wall.

"What mischief is this?" demanded the soldier in annoyance pulling him up out of the mess of a knocked over dresser in a dark and unlit room.

He stared up in nervous fear, _how do I get out of this?_

The soldier stood over him waiting but it was no use.

"I asked you a direct question. Speak up, boy."

Even if he had been able to, the soldiers eyes bored so deep into his he couldn't have made his mouth open to let the words he couldn't think fall out.

So the soldier pushed him along into the living room which obviously belonged to an elderly lady seated beside a window near the front door.

"Does this child belong here? do you know him?" he asked loudly.

The woman looked perplexed by both of them so he told her not to worry about it and leant down to whisper.

"You follow me, understand? You step exactly where I step until we get to the city gates and then you _wait there,_ just outside, with one hand on the wall at all times. If you take one misstep, I will know; if you try to run off, I will know; so much as look in the wrong direction and well…

"Can you do that?"

Niki nodded as he stared at the silver pattern on the lieutenant general's boots.


	4. Sutiana

Four

Sutiana

Lantash opened his eyes to a small bedroom. The off-white walls glowed in the early morning sun rays filtered by soft linen curtains crushed with age. He stretched and threw off the sheets to stand up by the large window running his hands through his longish hair to keep it out of his eyes. Martouf warned him to be discrete in all actions but he opened the shutters, leaning into the fresh air and looking down into the garden from, obviously, the second floor of a cottage. He looked over the scenery for a while, staring into the distance with a smile. His heart was singing.

Before long though, he became aware that flowing up the stairs and between the cracks in the door was a familiar aroma. He glanced around for something more to wear but ended up heading down as he was, to speak with whoever lived there.

He walked into the spacious kitchen and found no one there. The door was open and there was a pan on the stove smelling deliciously of meat and eggs, an oval, timber table was in the centre where he stood, bench tops around the walls and a pantry hung with dried and growing plants behind him. The fragrance of spring blossoms reminded him of home.

His eyes snapped back ahead as the screen door swung shut against its frame. An older woman stood against the sunlight a moment regarding him with an amused expression. His hair was smoothed back but wavy strands were ready to fall over his eyes again, bronzed, athletic, and in only his fitted, navy blue, uniform pants with bare feet on the wooden floor. His features were a mask of calm but she could see he was being cautious.

"Sutiana?" it was written on her apron.

"Ma'am will be fine."

He continued, "I am…"

She held her hand up, cutting him off, "there is no need, I have seen you among the guards."

He didn't know what to say, and so remained silent.

"Well sit down!" She commanded.

She scattered some salt into the pan, shook it and turned the food onto a nearby plate which she placed in front of him. He waited, wondering if she would eat with him.

"I've long since eaten," she said to the questioning look, "feeling any better?"

"Much. I must thank you for your nursing and hospitality."

"Do you know how you got here?"

At his blank look she told him "Someone sympathetic in the clean up crew from the city stopped by a few days ago with a cart full -- mostly-- of the dead. Since I had no one to contribute to his load headed for the graves, but rather have an empty bed in the house, you were dropped off."

"How fortuitous," he replied.

Leaning back against the bench opposite, she said, "A little more than that, I would say. No matter how many times the fort is taken no one can ever hold it."

"Indeed," he mused.

"Just remember, that that is not entirely because of you boys."

"Yes'm." he grinned. It faded quickly and his eyes absently searched the table.

He spoke quietly "…I don't remember anything before this… this morning."

She raised an eyebrow and folded her arms, "the city is in a mild state of chaos. It has been overrun by an invading army, we know not who they are, but they arrived seven days ago and flooded through the streets killing for days. Now there is no one left openly resisting. There is an acrid smoke blanketing the city – we expect them to make their announcements soon, once it clears away.

"If you'll excuse me a moment, I'll… find you something." she went upstairs to find him a change of clothes.

He was almost finished eating when he heard a scuffle close by. He turned his head to watch her walk back in but the hall was dark and empty.

_Guess our hearing's off,_ he thought.

He left the table and pushed through the screen door, heard footsteps and sprinted around the house to the source. He stood straight holding firmly onto the young boy's collar, looked him over wryly and walked him in to take a seat. The boy remained silent, studying the place, as Lantash had that morning, then looked out through the windows and doors.

The lady of the house returned shortly with a towel and clothes she held up for him to see. A fine, cream, cotton shirt missing its top buttons and tan slacks. She put them on top of a stool by the door and handed the kid an apple from the pantry.

"What are you doing here, young man? Get yourself to school before that old ogre gets savage again," she said lightly.

The child was as surprised as he but hid it far better then dashed out the door.

"You know him?" he frowned in confusion. She looked pointedly at him and he caved, "ah... he was… lurking."

"And are you planning to relax the day away?" she shot. "Follow the path _there_ down and turn left and the first fork, then right 'til you get to the lake."

He grabbed the things and left through the back garden finding the path into the forest.

"Mark my words: if you put me to shame when we get this army back up and running, I'll have you kicked to a world of pain," she called after him.

On returning to the house, he asked for a way to repay her kindnesses and was put to work on a fallen tree just within the brush. He was happy express himself to the tree for most of the day with a brand new axe; stopping occasionally to sit on it and chat over a cold sweet water drink, the lady sitting on a chair nearby.

"Your husband has passed away?" he checked. What he had seen of her house supported that.

She nodded, waiting to see where he would go with the topic but his mind was already elsewhere.

"Dinner will be ready after sunset, until then rest," she returned to the house.

He turned back to strike with the axe but when it fell, he looked up into the trees. That child stood not twenty feet away watching him. He left the axe and walked up to the small figure.

"Do you not recognise your superior officer?" he laughed, voice distorted.

"Interesting choice of host," Lantash replied.

"Mmm, _I_ thought so."

He knelt and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder in greeting.

"Well, less memories to suppress." The Goa'uld commented.

In anger his grasp tightened.

The young face cringed, "Your grip is a bit…"

He let go, saying "You used to be of sterner stuff."

"A minor setback. I can assure you already: this body will serve me well," he stretched the little arms and fingers. "I feel… so much energy," he mused. "I could climb mountains!

"Anyway, I have found you a way to the chappa'ai. I will stay here to gather the rest of the men; as soon as you set step through the event horizon activate the message on this," he handed over a small communicator, "return when you have our objectives.

"Oh and here's your medallion." He frowned, "I have no idea how I came by it."

He held onto it as though it meant something to him. Reminded by Martouf to say thank you, he switched on the communicator and found a new map of the fort with notes on the movements of the invaders.

When it was time he appeared back at the house bathed and ready for dinner. After that it would be time to say goodbye. The table was set and lit by a lamp overhead. Some kind of casserole, a welcome change from whatever gruel he assumed he'd been eating lately.

"You have been so kind to me," he said, "and this is wonderful."

She nodded once, in acknowledgement.

"Who was the boy here this morning?" It passed as small talk.

"Oh my sister's son, from the city. Likes to paint the birds."

"He's quiet."

"Mute. There was an accident. He's sharp as ever though. Would you like more?"

"Yes, please," _who knows when our next meal will be_, he thought.

"Will you be staying?"

"I'm afraid not. Unless there is something else you would like me to do."

"No. Besides, you have someone awaiting your return," she deduced with a happy smirk.

_How can they always tell?_ Martouf wondered.

Lantash didn't consider denying it, just studied the wall smiling, then watched his uniform turning from blue to black in theflames of the fireplace, thinking about the one he missed so painfully.


	5. Interlude

Five

Interlude

Sam was in her dim lab, deeply absorbed in her work, but to all outward appearances simply sitting in her desk chair facing the room. Back uncharacteristically straight, feet on the floor with hands hanging limp from the arm rests.

_So much to do. All of these are wrong or 'limited'… severely. Its either: modify everything or start from scratch._

As she had glanced over the things in her office and been about to leave for home late the night before, Sam had allowed herself to look into more of her memories. Now, thinking over only a primary school level of the Goa'uld's scientific facts had blown so many findings of Earth's science out of the water.

As yet unnoticed, Colonel O'Neil and Daniel watched from the doorway with grim expressions cast over their faces.

The colonel turned and whispered, "she really needs to relax."

"That could make it worse," Daniel said checking his watch. It was getting past lunch time.

"Hey, Carter…" Jack called with an insecure attempt at a smile.

She tilted her head to stare making him freeze and forget what he was going to say.

"Hey, Sam," Daniel gestured to the time, "I'm heading down to the 'café'. Want a… café?"

Jack muttered behind the hand he'd begun rubbing his cheek with, "decafé."

Hearing that, Daniel was already making his escape and more than halfway down the hall.

"I'll get you something nice," he called back and hurried to the surveillance room to watch.

"Sir, I want something interesting to work on," she demanded standing face to face.

He almost jumped out of his skin.

"You shouldn't sneak up on people like that. Fragile," he added and winced for effect. Glancing over the potentially, highly catastrophic weapons of mass destruction sitting in her office he shrugged, "Ebay?"

"Area 51."

"No can do."

"Sure you can."

"Can't."

"Can so."

"Can't!"

"This is increasingly tiresome. We want to finetune skills. The technology here is unsatisfactory!" she cried out setting her jaw and pouting.

"We?" he shot. "What's going on, Carter?"

But from the shell-shocked look her face took, he knew. These were the after effects of the Goa'uld symbiote.

"Lets get something to eat," she said ruefully.

As they walked leisurely down to the mess hall, the thought that there would likely come a chance to help her get back to normal eased the colonel's mind.

Meanwhile, Daniel rushed haphazardly through the base to meet them down there.


	6. A Messenger

Six

A Messenger

Based on when Martouf's intell told him he would have circumstantial favour, he had made timed runs throughout the fort. It took a great deal of time to reach the gate room and keep from being seen and the effort was taking its toll. His feet were aching and countless grazes covered the patches of skin where his clothes had been torn on sharp corners.

Now pressed against a dark wall Martouf stood rigid. He managed to stifle a panicked choke for air and rested his head back.

Over 50 paces away the DHD stood in the centre of the grand hall, framed by the gate placed a further 15 back. The hall itself was broken up by a myriad of passages, so once he stepped out there would be no cover.

Ten invaders sentinelled on both sides. In a matter of seconds they would turn and follow those passages to be met by their replacements.

He listened to the first one walk away. He held his breath, he could not move until he knew more were going. A few painful seconds passed until the next moved. Footsteps slowly becoming more distant. He snuck a glance and found the ones closest to the gate still standing in place looking as though they would never leave. He crept out towards the closest post. By the time he made it there the next few had disappeared without noticing him so he continued.

A few more posts became unguarded. As the first replacement walked in by the main entrance, Martouf shot him and caught his body before it hit the ground.

Martouf stalked forward taking out the next, who was much further ahead, in the same manner. The others could not hear him move straight away, nor could they see him against the dark background. By the time the next two of them fell he was a third of the way there and ran for it.

Shots singed his clothes from everywhere as he ran in a warped zigzag trying to take out more guards. In front of him one ran out and tripped him over with a staff. Martouf's shoulder cracked against the floor and he rolled himself onto his side. The sentry kicked away his weapon, but as Martouf got up in a fluid motion he knocked away the staff and punched the guard unconscious. He stepped aside in time for a blast to strike his opponent in the chest, and dealt the shooter one to match.

In sprints and cart-wheels he made it through the crossfire onto the platform, dived through the inactive gate and slid around on the floor to use it for cover, firing with the other zat. Frustratingly, he could see the remaining five sentries slowly approaching although he was continuously firing on them.

With a cry of rage, Martouf ran out and rammed into the closest of them, knocking him clean off his feet. His eyes burning blue hot locked onto the rest who skidded into formation around him.

"What! you think I'm going to surrender now that you've wrecked my outfit?" he scoffed in a booming voice and in the blink of an eye shot two of them.

The next dared to shoot him in the left shoulder and not a second later lay among the bodies on the floor. Martouf stepped over them and took care of the one he'd knocked over as the last guard fled down a passage.

No time to spare, Martouf dialled and ran through the gate.


	7. On the Run

Seven

On the Run

Martouf came flying through the other side and lost his footing. He sat up sighing, leaned against this new world's DHD, pulled out the communicator and turned it on. He tried to reconfigure the settings to contact the Tok'ra but it was useless and he was left with two options.

_So should I send this message to Anubis?_

_Yes and no. Similarly we could also return to that world… or not._

He laughed as he pictured doing so and lay back.

As the adrenaline rush abated he wondered: was he now closer or further away from his beloved?

The last chance they had time to spend alone they walked out into the desert during late afternoon. Not long after angrily shoving him away over the edge of a dune and walking off, she was back in his arms, laughing on his shoulder and looking into his eyes, talking excitedly about the Tok'ra rebellion, their dream revolution and what it would be like to one day overthrow the Goa'uld for good.

A pang of hunger interrupted his thoughts.

Lantash groaned and took control while his host remained wrapped up in the reverie. He put the communicator away and walked out onto the lush overgrown lawn around the chappa'ai. The grass reached into a rainforest where there was a faint path to follow of finer crushed mulch. His soft, silent moccasins didn't hold out the moisture but at least that cooled his sore feet.

A little way into the forest he stopped to lean against a tree, savouring the tranquillity and idly considering that all around him there were different kinds of creatures constantly in their own struggles for survival. Insects like jewels crawled off leaves and stems unnoticed in the dawn mist. They crawled, jumped and flew away from him. There was the smell of rain on the way and also that of burning wood.

Cold, awkward, he plodded through grounds of baby teak trees and fine sunlight dappled grass until he was walking in thick murky green shadows where the air was heavy like a deep kel'no'reem. It was so quiet. There the sunlight came in swirling beams that, striking through the canopy only now and then, revealed the vibrant colours of the plants: giant split fan leaves and hanging purple flowers. It caught particles of moisture hanging in the air and bent them into fragmented rainbows.

Ahead on the path drops of red juice rained down from the canopy. He walked up and caught some in his hand. It smelled sweet so he tasted it tentatively. It was so pleasing he looked up searching for more in the trees and found red berries growing along a vine high up where two large, bird-like creatures circled each other in a primitive dance. Suddenly they dived off the branches, disappearing instantly.

Then his cyan eyes widened at the sound of someone sprinting his way. He ducked into the underbrush just as a jaffa ran past in great bounds weapon aimed at the canopy and disappeared into the other side of the forest. Lantash breathed a sigh of relief and straightened up craning his neck after the goa'uld. But a second Jaffa approached silently from behind and yelled, "Kree chok!" with a deepened voice and the encircled gold snake of Apophis illuminated on his dark skin.

Lantash jumped and took off running sideways to avoid catching up with the first jaffa. Insects and sticky leaves clung to his skin, twisted roots looped up to snare his feet, plants whipped against his arms and face. Then something wrapped itself around his leg and stung until he shook it off between running steps.

A few minutes later the sound of a rough river met his ears from up ahead. He ran towards it, though not knowing what he would do when he got there. Eventually he stopped at the very edge of a great ravine, looking back at his pursuer who stood not far behind him weapon aimed.

The Jaffa, confident the chase was over sidestepped a rock, and fired a warning shot at the ground commanding, "surrender."

Lantash simply stared at him while catching his breath and wavering in the icy river breeze. Infuriated by the refusal to move in any way to kneel, the jaffa raised his aim and fired and though Lantash's reaction was lightning fast to avoid the blast, he lost balance and fell over the edge.

Martouf opened one eye to the cold stone pavement pressed against his face, the other to a circle of blue night sky within the stone ring, the gate.

_I'm beginning to think something is not quite right around here._

He lifted his head a little to assess his situation and found himself alone. He sat up and looked around carefully. Nothing had changed. The grass was undamaged so he had not been dragged there as the jaffa would have done.

_Whoever brought us back here is showing us the door._

He stepped up to the DHD and dialled a random address. The gate came to life quicker than he had ever seen.

_What in Netu! _Lantash yelled.

Martouf frowned in confusion. Then taking a few hurried steps and wiping the dirt from his face with his wet sleave…

_We went for a swim?_

_Who cares, lets get out of here!_

…he once again stepped through the event horizon.


	8. Torres

Eight

Torres

_There are a few things I'd like to let you know. _

In his personal control room wearing fine silk clothes fitted to perfection Torres walked away from the console he had used to override the security monitors and into an antechamber where the transport ring's circle was depicted on the floor.

_It is my will that you survive._

As he passed he eyed his full length reflection in one of the gilded walls.

_Even if both of us do…_

He stared into his hosts eyes. Subconsciously the face took on shadows and bated breath of his hosts fear and anticipation at what he hadn't yet said.

_I doubt we'll ever see each other again._

He took his place in the circle. The rings flew up in succession and he was transported down to a sublevel into a dim charcoal coloured stone passage. At the close end he opened the door to a dead-end chamber, its single entrance made it unique within the medical facility; he wanted a closed undertaking.

_I have already seen too much pain on the faces of children._

A simple stone operating table stood in the centre of the room, beautifully made yet unsettling, shelves of imaging technology and medical equipment on the walls..

Maybe you will grow to be my enemy. That wouldn't matter much though. When you are a man if you dare to fight me, return here and we will see what you are capable of.

_Torres wandered waiting and idly handling the intriguing experiment devices._

_I never really believed this day would come. Now that I'm lord of this fort, you will have to go on with your life alone._

After a short while the general strode in, black boots beating a set rhythm on the chamber floor. He wore the blue uniform with details inset with silver on his soft leather belt, staff weapon and across his the back of his tunic. The expression on his face was impassive, but despite that Torres knew that General Ganev was forthright, sharp and unassuming.

Ganev kneeled before him for a moment then rose.

"Speak," said Torres.

"The prisoner is ready, Lord Torres."

"Bring him in."

Ganev left the room and returned with two lieutenants pulling along a weary, bewildered prisoner. When the prisoner saw it was Torres who general Ganev was looking to his expression became bewildered. The lieutenants knocked him down into kneeling and bowed his head by force.

"You dirty little thief. Soon you'll see the sum of your actions," Torres scolded (though he really had no interest in the crime), coming to stand in front of him. The man looked around dumbly, not registering who Torres actually was.

_He's right to be confused, yet wisely holds his tongue,_ thought Torres.

Torres's pushed up the mans chin with his small hand so their eyes were exactly level. He turned the man's face this way and that looking him over carefully.

He was around 25 with short, black, curly hair, classical features and green eyes, wearing once very smart, middle class city clothes which now were filthy and barely holding together.

Torres glanced to Ganev and walked away from the man, "very well," he gestured Ganev, "have him prepared."

Ganev casually pointed to the door and the lieutenants boosted the man up and pushed him along through the doorway. Four old, robed women entered as General Ganev left the chamber. One of them walked ahead of the others and bowed her head briefly.

"You, could die, my lord," she said, "or become crippled, mentally disabled-"

"Two of you are to focus on healing this body immediately," he said running his hands over his host's skin. "Prepare."

She lifted him up to the table where he crawled onto it on all fours and turned over to lie on his back. The healers put on their hand devices and stood around where his head rested. He released his hold on the child gradually, letting the muscles slip from his control.

He felt the eyes widen in shock and a trembling began.

_Be still or something very bad will happen,_ Torres warned him.

When Torres felt his power return in full he proceeded. Causing extreme suffering to himself but significantly less to the child, Torres released the hold of each fine strand connecting their brainstems and drawing them out he unwound from the spine slowly.

The body seized and tightened the muscles and nerves, bringing his fingers, arms and legs into a cramp against the torso. Torres's hissed shrieks of pain sliced though the stone walls, escaping the chamber like a cold draft under the doors and through the cracks. He pulled up his tail pointing it at the throat and speared it though, bursting the soft flesh, trying to stretch out as he wriggled through the break and downwards pulling his head through and slithering up into the mouth, blood covered him and hazed his eyes but ultimately made it easier to move.

The mouth of the stilled child opened and he left it, wrapping around a hand that gently took hold and pulled him out. The healer lowered him into a basin filtering pure water, then the glow of two healing devices lit up above him, warming his body as it released a chemical which made the fine strands fall away and his skin harden. His body was working hard and used all its energy to heal most of the trauma at once so he gradually became unconscious.

Much later he came out of the dreams that had formed during the last stages of the blending and began to communicate with his new host's consciousnesses as he too became aware.

_Teo,_ he said now knowing his name.

_My lord,_ the host scoffed.

_Yes, you'll soon know who's in control here,_ he said sorting through Teo's memories at will.

General Ganev was the only other person remaining in the room and helped Torres up since he was extremely weak.

"Lord Torres, the child is healed," he said assisting as Torres limped from the room to the set of rings in the passage.

"Summon my messenger and I will give him directions."

They stepped out and walked back to the control room and from there made their way to his personal chamber, one of the gold rooms. Since they had returned to the fort the servants worked full time cleaning up. There was no longer any charred and broken furniture or blood and skin, no smell rising from the other levels.

"Is it to your liking?"

Torres stopped inspecting the new all white marble furniture from the vantage point of his host's height as he came across something he hadn't noticed before. A statue standing on the balcony outside looking out over the sea beyond the bay. He swung open the shutters and walked around to see the face carved into it.

_Kaya,_ it almost drove him mad.

_Still taller than you,_ Teo said.

He ordered it destroyed and had Ganev drag it out at once so Ganev pushed the statue inch by inch along the floor. When it got stuck on the balcony step Torres had to find a mirror to distract himself. He was very narked but managed to straighten out his lavish new clothes.

_I was right not to recognise you. You don't belong here after all,_ Teo needled.

He didn't dignify it with an answer, _so lets explore some of your embarrassing moments._

He closed his eyes as though it helped him search Teo's memories. More importantly it blocked out the sight of Kaya's satisfied face in the background.

_Why do you hate your brother so much_?

_Ah what's this?_ Torres smiled detecting his hosts instant discomfort.

_Its private._

_Not any more!_

Torres focussed on it intensely until all the images and sounds became clear.

_That is not for you to experience!_ Teo protested.

As Torres came to understand what he had found buried in his host's mind it also became clear what a grave mistake he had made in choosing Teo.

"Ganev!" he barked stalking over and grabbed him by the collar, shaking him.

"Its difficult! It must weigh at least-"

"What have you done to me?"

Ganev seemed to be looking for the 'right' answer.

"You said he was merely a thief," he said trying to speed things up.

"That is why he was arrested."

_Yes, that is why I was arrested._

"I'm damned. You fools!"

Torres pushed a particularly brutal memory from his mind and watched Sue enter the room. She had looked so perfect and powerful from the child's point of view but now he saw her from a man's, all the curves plain to see and her defiant demeanour. She wore a country dress made of a heavy red fabric with a very worn hem, a mass of long brown curls held back in some incomprehensibly messy manner. He doubted that a woman so unadorned had ever set foot this far inside the fort before.

"Thank you, Sue, for your assistance to the army," his words were made of whispers.

"Its _Sutiana_," she corrected while looking him over too and then glanced around the room.

_She trying to be cute?_ Teo asked.

He smiled, _no, most definitely not. Just difficult._

"Why was I summoned here?"

"I have something for you," he said circling her to feel the air charge between them.

"That's all good and well, but why was I summoned," she smirked.

He stopped by her side and facing the opposite direction looking at her quizzically as she stared uninterestedly ahead at the wall behind his throne.

You!" he yelled suddenly, close to her ear and on purpose. Both Sue and the servant jumped and he snickered in glee making it impossible for her not to look into his eyes, "Bring the lady a drink."

They watched the boy run out of the room in obedience and she turned to him.

"You are lord Kaya."

"No," he said in annoyance, "Kaya is no more."

_Especially if he ever comes back._

"I led the army back to victory so I've take my place as Lord in the event of his death. I am Torres.

"Please, sit down."

The only chair there was his throne so she walked up the low steps to it and sat there.

"Women," he groaned dropping onto the highest step.


	9. Politics

Nine

Politics

Martouf stepped forward. Immediately leather dressed security men ran up and seized him. They shoved him along roughly, overzealously, into a grey building before them. He could feel the electricity and hear it buzzing through everything there. They were obviously somewhat advanced. The men pushed him along to the front desk and asked to see the sergeant.

As they waited there he noticed a man in a grey suit at the end of the desk, standing almost on the other side of it and talking to one of the receptionists in a very serious and quiet though friendly manner. The man soon noticed him watching and walked over intent on greeting him. The security men warned the man about him but he brushed them off politely and told them to let go of Martouf.

"Welcome to Tollana. Are you in need of food and medical attention?"

"Yes, thank you," he replied.

"I'll have it arranged. I am Narim."

"Martouf," he said wearily.

"How did you bypass our gate security without sending a signal?"

"I haven't any idea."

The men handed Martouf's belongings over to Narim.

"Furthermore you brought a Goa'uld weapon and communicator… " his expression turned hostile and Narim shared a look with the sergeant who had appeared next to him.

"I am not Goa'uld."

Narim addressed Martouf again, "Whoever you are, I'm sorry we can't be more hospitable to you. Under the circumstances, you understand, that's completely out of the question," he handed Martouf's things to the sergeant and left the building.

"You're under arrest," said the sergeant and ordered that the security men lock him up.

They bowed in salute and walked Martouf down to a quiet, small and dark cell. He didn't argue, just lay on the cot and fell asleep.

Martouf awoke in a modern, cream coloured apartment, minimalist in design with small red glass sculptures and indoor plants, though sterile the place was also beautiful somehow.

He flexed his heavy hands, looking over the sores where splinters had been removed and saw a doctor sitting nearby and two guards at the door.

"We have implanted you with a health monitor" the doctor said standing up to examine Martouf's eyes, "it will not cause you harm so don't try to remove it."

He found the shiny onyx device set into his left forearm and ran his fingertips over it. After the doctor left he moved a chair to the centre of the room and sat watching the doors and windows, waiting alert and ready for the next player that might show up there to see him.

As he sat and waited he began to remember things. He remembered standing guard in a lavish courtyard within the walls of the mayor's city mansion. He'd had five minuted until he was to come off duty and he'd noticed a woman watching him, half concealed by one of the courtyard walls. She was very beautiful, petite with long thick black hair, almost black eyes and olive skin. Desamina, his closest colleague's love.

She crossed the courtyard to him in delicate slippers and began to say his name softy when he cut her off.

"You are intended."

"That was before I saw you," she said closing the distance to kiss him. He pushed her away, not wanting to get involved in a scandal that could blow his cover.

_We don't want to be constantly watching our back for a murderous boyfriend._

That's when his young partner turned up to see them standing so close and the look of proud guilt on Desamina's face sealed it. Elio pulled out a dagger and punched Lantash with the fist enclosed around it.

That evening the High Chancellor Travell payed him the honour of a visit. A woman wearing a black hooded cloak over a plain dress, with grey hair a pleasant enough face but for her steely eyes. They exchanged greetings and formalities as she entered and she dismissed the guards.

"I wasn't trying to come here. Not on purpose anyway," he began to explain.

Travell seemed not to hear what he was saying and chastised him, "Needless to say, I am very unhappy about your incident with security today. Try to be more discrete" she spat out.

_Interesting,_ thought Lantash.

"Scans picked up your Goa'uld message ready to transmit to Anubis. You have put me out. You are in big trouble!"

_Lantash, do not-_

"Really?" he shot, eyes glowing.

"Take your stupid device," she said throwing the communicator at him, "you will not find anything amiss here."

_So it was her who had us relocated from the jail._

Travell stomped to the door but he blocked her path, "I already have."

He noticed her hand move to a weapon hidden in her cloak as she avoided his hard stare.

_She will take, Lantash._

"That is… unless you contact the Tok'ra on my behalf."

He let his words hang in the air then let her go and stepped aside. She stood completely still for a long moment then walked out.

_That was very stupid._

_She was too confident. Why did she take so long to talk to us, Martouf? Because she had to hide the evidence of whatever she's been up to or fix something and then wait a few days to make sure her rushing over here wouldn't seem suspicious to anyone. Overconfident._

Ren'al worked all night on the data sent from the Tollan doctor and reported her findings before dawn.

"With no way detect if he is a zatarc…" she said to a thoughtful Garshaw.

"I don't like this," Garshaw said, then was very silent. "Proceed," she concluded.

Ren'al bowed and headed to the storerooms to prepare for departure.

The next day started painfully slowly from the time he woke early in the morning, showered, had breakfast, watched the city for hours from the balcony and then lay down on the sofa to watch the front door since the apartments computers were disabled. Not that he was locked in anymore, he just didn't want to miss out on any information that might come his way. Finally, when he couldn't take it anymore and was about to go out for a walk through the city, he began to remember what had happened after Elio had seen him and Desamina.

"We don't have to, but if you feel the need to fight awhile-" Lantash had started but it was too late, he had to block Elio's slash and kicked in Elio's shin. Elio managed to grab Lantash's tunic and punch him in the stomach and Lantash kicked away the dagger before delivering a back handed blow, the last coherent move as the fight dissolved into a dusty scramble.

They both froze at the sound of many arming staff weapons and looked up at the roving squad sent to relieve them, its commander standing over them with a zat at their heads. They released each other and stood abruptly to attention, Lantash's face covered in dirt and grit, Elio with a bloody nose.

Elio was allowed to explain himself first.

"He is a sholva," he said out of spite.

"What do you have to say to this charge?" asked the commander re-aiming his weapon from Elio's to Lantash's face.

"He is simply jealous because his fiancé came to-"

"Desamina is from a respectable family, he would dishonour…"

Elio shut his mouth as the commander trained his zat back onto him, "Enough said. Take him before Lord Kaya," he ordered and the guards arrested Lantash and had escorted him back to the fort.

His mind refused to give him any more so Lantash got up and walked over to the full length windows. Sensing another person in the room he turned.

"I can hardly believe you stand before me," said the Tok'ra woman with studying eyes.

She looked slightly older than him. The last time he was home Dr Ren'al had looked younger though they were of the same age.

_How long could we have been gone?_ he wondered again looking over her two male accompanying Tok'ras.

"Nice tan," she said.

Lantash rolled his eyes.

"How'd you get away so easily?"

He spoke slowly to make sure she would understand the first time, "It. Wasn't. easy."

She changed the subject, "Lovely place you have here, very…" she searched for the right word, "warm," she said looking over the traditional glass ornaments placed strategically around the living room.

_Warm,_ Martouf mused.

"You need to get out more," he said, although he admitted to himself that he was starting to like Tollana's atmosphere.

"I only wish there were a zatarc test." She shot back.

Lantash almost told her how little her manners had ever improved… yet thought the better of it. She, after all, was his only chance to make any return to the Tok'ra. He was fairly disturbed, _is it just her or do we Tok'ra all come off that callous?_

Outside the sun shined brightly and as they left the city square and walked on smooth grey paths through vivid greens to the gate he noticed her pensive.

"What troubles you?" he asked enjoying the fresh air and blue sky as he walked leisurely beside her.

"Nothing in particular," she replied wryly.

"What _out_ of particular then?"

"Things are not progressing, as usual. Mostly its the feeling that we're all treading water. That things, in fact, look better than they are… and you know well enough how they look."

"I do."

"We are a dying race," she said tracking the path with her eyes.

Lantash's eyes sparkled at that, _how melodramatic._

She stepped up onto the DHD's platform but he pulled her aside before she pressed the second symbol. With nervous urgency in his tone he finally broached the subject. "How is my mate?"

"I checked with the council before I came, we do not know her whereabouts at the moment," the sympathy was clear in her words.

He took a step backwards.

"There is an ashrak following her. Nevertheless, she _will return_." She surmised with a reverence in her eyes that all Tok'ra had for Jolinar.

"And, since, you have heard nothing," he said quietly, swallowing.

_We're finally going home and she won't be there._

"Where was she last?" he demanded, already forming a plan of action in his mind.

"I won't tell you."

"I'm going to find out!"

"And then what? She wont be there _or_ have left any clues. Lantash, there is no point in us arguing this out."

Knowing it was true he stood in a daze unable to move because he felt so useless. She dialled the rest of the address and stood by it facing him until he managed to walk through.


	10. Interlude

Ten

Interlude II

SG-1 was sitting together at a table in the commissary relaxing with good coffee and those almond, icing sugared, custard filled croissants which Daniel had thoughtfully brought in. Sam felt a little spoiled about that, sitting slouched in the chair, weighing a treat in each hand. Not that the others were treating her like the birthday girl, but things were beginning to settle back down.

She'd noticed Colonel O'Neil was rather relieved that she seemed to be back to her old self… the threatening-her-commanding-officer incidents had really shaken him.

Though eating quietly while the guys talked, Sam was a galaxy away in her thoughts. She couldn't help being tickled by this days revelations of even more pleasant memories to add to the dreams she'd been having. The intensity of the what she was seeing and feeling took her breath away and once again the blood was rushing to her face.

A moment later her laughter rang out and ended in a gasp as an invisible party did something awful.

The colonel turned blue and sprayed his coffee everywhere including all over Teal'c who raised his eyebrow at the incident. The colonel was about to admonish her for the un-major-like outburst when he saw the beautiful, glowing smile evoked on her face along with the mildly sinful glint in her eyes.

It turned instantly to embarrassment when she snapped out of it and found she'd been staring ahead at where Daniel was seated opposite, in her line of fire, and noticed the silent shock of her colleagues.

She jumped up out of her seat and quickly left the scene, rushing though the corridors and avoiding running into anyone on her way to her office.

O'Neil forgot he could start breathing. Daniel cocked his eyebrows and leaned back with a long sigh. Teal'c left to take a shower.

This was certainly a change.

Their second run in had been off-world on their last mission, which, thankfully, otherwise had been uneventful.

Carter had snapped at Jack, "Return to your primitive world and see how far you get without us," and that was only for making a crack with Daniel about her energy bar preparing skills.

"What?" he'd said after a long pause. If it were a joke he would have gotten it… but it very clearly wasn't.

Danny had looked genuinely confused and tired just trying to get his head around the situation, but also like he was amused too for some reason.

Jack finally whined, "I'd lose my job!" and had spent the rest of the mission avoiding her.

Carter probably thought it wasn't _her_ fault Jack had to be so intrusive when she was busy trying to figure out how to improve the unsatisfactory technology. Her behaviour was abnoxious. It even made Teal'c and Daniel flinch at times.

By the time the third confrontation went down though, they'd dragged him stunned out of her lab by the arms – it hadn't been for _her_ safety either. They'd known he was too shell-shocked to get out while his own feet were carrying him rather than a naqada enhanced force.

Due to all the confusion, he'd sent Teal'c over to visit her at home after hours to show her the security videos from her lab.

For over two hours of the tape she stood by a wall with her head bowed in silence. Then when the double snapped out of it… if only it had simply been her mannerisms and speech patterns that were different. It was like re-watching the tapes of that Goa'uld walking around in her body.

Maybe it hadn't been the best thing to do. With these things plaguing her mind constantly after that, Carter had been eating her words and tripping over the 'royal we' for days. Watching herself from without seemed to leave her very deeply disturbed.

But now it was a few days later and at least she was back to working steadily

Sam stood for hours at her desk trying in vain to concentrate but she was just too distracted.

In a last ditch attempt to clear her mind she sat down on the floor and tried to kel'no'reem. Her legs were too stiff. She crossed them over the other way. The floor was too hard so she switched to kneeling. Something kept sticking into her knee. She lay down and a bit of dust fell into her eye. Rubbing it she stood up and kicked the metal wastepaper basket over on her way out.

"Whoa, slow down there!" said Dr. Fraiser ushering her back in.

Sam leant back against her desk and tried not to frown so much.

"What's going on?" Janet asked with a loaded smile.

"Nothing."

"Then you wont mind going home to get some rest," Janet smirked, probably thinking Sam would spill rather than stop working.

_Oh no ya don't, I'm not going anywhere- On second thought though..._

"That's a good idea, see you Monday," she said grabbing her coat and hurried out.

When Sam got home she left her coat, shoes, keys and worries at the door. She didn't like her home nearly as much as the base because she couldn't bring her projects home and that was pretty much why she hadn't bothered making it feel more personal but this night that made it a great place to escape to.

With bubble bath and music she closed her eyes and relaxed letting her mind wander and pushing away all negative and annoying thoughts and soon she started slipping off to sleep in the heat.

It felt like barely a minute later that she jumped at a soft stroke against her thigh.

She wondered if something had fallen into the tub but didn't think so. She knew she could get some real sleep for once if she just ignored it. But she felt it again exactly the same, a real de ja vous, and this time her mind pulled her in completely, telling her it was real and happening.

Over his tanned arms as they moved in and out of the water with hands massaging her back, she watched twinkling crystal bubbles evaporate. Glasslike, in each one five candles burned and rainbow atmosphere swirled into a black hole weakening the surface tension until it burst.

His hot wet hand stroked over her cheek and pulled up her chin. She didn't not know this man… but he seemed to know her intimately. He traced her lines with his eyes, a naughty smile blossoming as he watched her looking up at him.

His tilted his head then and his entire body slid down as he lowed his head to press his lips to hers.

She jumped, heart beating wildly and trying to understand what was happening to her.

Her eyes opened, her hands grasped the sides of the bathtub. She was alone. The only signs of life there were her breathing and the dripping sound of water-beads rolling off her fingertips, the tickle of cold air.

She pulled herself out of the thin foam, pulled the plug and turned the shower on telling herself that she couldn't still smell his perfumed scent.


	11. The Tok'Ra

"You don't think it was just a dream."

"No Sir. It was real. I could tell."

Eleven

The Tok'Ra

Lantash became aware that he stood in his new Tok'ra quarters. He walked out the doorway and through tunnels looking around and discretely planting bugs at close intervals on his way. Eventually he reached Garshaw's chamber and found it surrounded by frantic and shocked Tok'ra. All of them knowing they were too late to save her life they avoided trampling any evidence.

_So we have been successful._

As he slowly walked from the scene Jolinar turned a corner ahead and stopped in his path. He pulled her aside and tried to get her attention off the controversy unravelling behind him.

"Jolie… Jolie!" he scolded.

Her head snapped up, eyes searching his, "what's happened?"

He stopped her from pushing past an pulled her into a fast pace beside him. He didn't want to say it for fear of being overheard, but he had to whisper, "give me your weapon and communicator," the expression and tone he used was commanding.

She handed them over quickly and luckily for him, she was discrete in all her movements as usual.

"Lantash, what's going on?" she asked and he cringed every time she glanced back over her shoulder. She gasped and put a hand on his upper arm. "You suspect…" she stared, beginning to annoy him with endless questions.

"Please, stand away. Over there…" he pointed to a dead-end fork of the corridor.

She stepped back and he gestured impatiently for her to go much further. When she was too far to stop him he pulled a small crystal from his pocket and slammed it into the wall letting the energy drain from it.

From that point crystal bars shot out in rays. Spearing their ends into the other side of the tunnel they cracked it and slowly grew thicker.

Blocked from each other, he looked her over for the last time and walked away.

"Lantash, what the f…!" she screamed after him a minute later, pounding on the thickening barrier that had become a flat wall between her and the main corridor.

He walked on trying to ignore it and think about the other things he had to do that day but then a small and gentle voice caught his attention. Foreign, clear and ethereal.

"Martouf."

There was merely a hint of uncertainty. Whoever she was, it was obvious she was curious about him.

"I'm right aren't I?"

He stood looking over his shoulder. There was no one in sight. There was no sound of any distant conversations or footsteps but his own, which since they'd left no prints may not have existed to begin with.

"Where are you?" he asked.

"Come here."

He turned his head to the side, "Rosha? How are you doing that?"

At no response her went back the way he'd come, searching until he stood back at her cell. The wall he'd made was now too thick for light to penetrate.

"Rosha?"

Nothing.

He pressed an ear to the wall for a while.

"Alright, I'll let you out if you tell me how you did that," he said

Nothing.

Then there was a loud thud against the crystal he was listening through. He reeled back with wide eyes at the pain, trying not to touch his ear.

The pounding returned. It grew louder and the ground and everything shook. His body suddenly felt very heavy and he became stuck to the floor by the its weight. He decided to give up and lay down waiting for the shaking to subside. He began to feel cold.

The second he woke up and could focus Martouf rushed out of his quarters running frantically around the Tok'ra base searching for Jolinar and Garshaw.

"Hey, Martouf! You're on patrol today," called Aldwin catching up to where Martouf had stopped and turned when he'd heard him, "we had better go down to the storerooms and get our stuff, I feel Garshaw on the move towards us and I believe she's not in a good mood," he grinned rushing Martouf along.

"But she is alright?" he asked.

"Who? Garshaw? Of course," Aldwin gave him a strange look.

"Just checking," he relaxed.

They walked into the storerooms smiling at one of Lantash's jokes Martouf had acted out on the way and they greeted Cordesh and the other men gathered there preparing to head out.

His thoughts became focussed on the patrol and staying alert as half of the group transported up to the surface then his half used the rings and they all walked slowly in formation, in a roundabout way towards the gate, without sound and leaving no tracks behind them.

Then, a surprise to everyone, they heard the gate spin and Cordesh instantly motioned for Azi to climb a nearby dune to watch. Azi signalled there were four, armed and on foot then he snuck back down slowly. As they heard the foreign steps coming towards them Cordesh sent his message to the Tok'ra underground and with barely enough time the men rolled into the dune walls, tunnelling their bodies deeper in with their legs. They waited until they knew the visitors were well into their trap to spring out.

And then there she was. Her eyes darting around the standoff to detect any threatening movents made by the men. Her eyes turned to his stance and weapon's aim then flicked up to settle on his face and expression.

"Martouf," she said with wonder in her eyes, just the way she had sounded in the dream and her expression was of open curiosity, she looked so young. Only a little shorter than him, fair too but with bluer eyes and blonder hair.

_Its you,_ he felt as though he'd almost said it aloud.

Her guard dropped, she was almost smiling.

Their team member in stance of leader spoke, "I'm assuming you are the Tok'ra."

Cordesh tensed, "and if we are?"

The Jaffa replied, "if you are indeed the Tok'ra of Jaffa legend, we should form an alliance," he said.

The woman lowered her weapon.

"Carter!" said the leader and she instinctively raised her weapon slightly.

"Its safe, Colonel."

"They're Goa'ulds, Carter."

She bristled, "they're not Goa'uld."

"And you, what, feel this?"

She looked back to Martouf who couldn't seem to take his eyes off her, "no, I can remember."

"O'Neill, if they are the Tok'ra, we are in no danger," said the Jaffa.

The man next to O'Neil said, "if you're asking for opinions, I vote we take the chance."

"Okay. But I want it understood that we're doing this in the spirit of future relations. I expect us to be treated as such."

And the rest put their weapons down.

"Please, come closer together," Martouf asked.

"Why?"

The man next to the leader sighed, "Jack."

They stepped within the rings and were transported into the tunnels. Cordesh led everyone towards Garshaw's meeting chamber.

"This looks just like the last place," Carter said to Martouf.

"This plan is very similar to the last one," he explained wondering if he should be suspicious and how much to say.

"It is said throughout the legend of the Tok'ra, when they arrive on a planet they go deep underground, it is said they possess the technology to actually grow tunnels," the Jaffa said as he walked ahead of them with the rest.

"It's made of crystals, so it is grown," Carter said. She managed to fall back from the group as she looked around and Martouf walked back towards her.

Moving up beside him "My memories of you are so strong," her head tilted as she focused on him. "This is such a… strange bond."

He looked over this foreign woman again, with nothing to say, wanting some idea to come quickly before those she'd come with would notice she was gone and rush back for her. But she didn't wait, passing by him without a word and walked ahead to where Cordesh was ushering the visitors into a chamber to wait for Garshaw.

Martouf entered soon after looking for Carter and was met by the Tauri leader, "Colonel? Jack? O'Neil?" he asked.

"Yah," he said rocking on his heels.

"…By which should I address you?"

"Sir will be fine."

"Sir?"

"And you are… Martouf?"

Martouf nodded and began to explain, "Jolinar–" then he noticed her nearby and caught the barely perceptible shake of her head through he corner of his eye. He understood, she did not want their relationship revealed to the others with her. Perhaps she would at least talk with him alone at some point.

"You knew Jolinar?" asked Colonel Jack O'Neil.

"Yes," he said simply.

Martouf looked back to the woman and he knew she'd known who he was to Jolinar from when she first saw him but neither of them said anything more.

_For some reason we must keep up the pretence that she doesn't know everything about us._


	12. Evolutions

Twelve

Evolutions

He nodded to the council when they noticed him move away from the discussion "I apologise, I will take my leave now," without breaking his stride and left the room to return to his quarters. Not long after he went inside there was the sound of someone approaching and waiting by his door moving back and forth uneasily.

He walked out to see her as she turned.

"Carter."

"… I didn't think I should come in," she explained, "and it's Sam. Samantha," she added a little too quickly.

"Samantha?"

She smiled hearing him say it, "yeah, ok," her head dipped slightly and for a second he expected Jolie to come to the fore – was it a subconscious throwback to her blending?

She glanced to his doorway "Can we–"

A group of Tok'ra walked through separating the two of them to opposite walls momentarily as they passed.

Martouf waited then crossed over to her side, "can we…?"

_It sounded better when _she_ said it. _Lantash thought knowing the moment had passed and so too the opportunity to hear her ask–

_That's not what she was going to say, Lantash._

_Humour me!_

He settled with a different idea.

"Come outside with me."

She nodded and they headed to the rings. He raised his hand to the small of her back.

_Rosha,_ his soul cried.

He dropped his hand, taking hold of it with the other behind his back.

On the surface they walked far away in the opposite direction from the gate and he stopped, "I've been thinking for a while now and it's so clear," he mused.

She looked to him for an explanation.

"I had a dream last night. I don't know if it means anything more than what's immediately apparent but… I'm sure it was you," he watched her reaction, her eyes widening.

"Wow, so did I–" she said but stopped abruptly and looked away. Her discomfort intrigued him, did she too have a mate?

"What happened?" Martouf asked.

After being silent for a long time, the expression on her face changing constantly, She was finally said, "there was…."

"Yes?" he smirked as she lost her cool.

"Well, it…" she began again but fell into her thoughts pacing uneasily and fiddling with her empty holster.

_I've got a better one_, Lantash suggested as Martouf dwelled for an eternity touching her soft lips, following her jaw line down her neck with his gaze, his eyes pulled back up when she wet her lips. he watched her pace a moment then stood in the way on her return to the place she'd stood before. She crashed into him, snapping out of her escape search.

"What did I do?"

Thoughtful about what he was asking, her eyes absently settled on his mouth with an expression so primal. That instant he knew he had her.

The gentle breeze moved her hair, making her shiver a little and he tentatively moved in walking her to the very edge of the high dune. She grasped his shoulders encouraging him closer. But stuck by confusion in the situation he froze not yielding to her gentle pull.

Embarrassment crept over her features and she knocked him out of the way running away from him in the direction they'd come from. Contrite, he was about to call after her… but he'd forgotten her name.

Martouf closed his eyes, regretting what he had done.

_Will we follow her now, friend, and catch her before she gets back?_

_Yes,_ Martouf avowed breaking into a sprint.

Lantash's thoughts however returned to Rosha _What are we doing?_

_I don't know._

The sun had quickly risen high and he narrowed his eyes from the light bouncing off it and froze when he saw her standing by the rings The sand was too hot to stand still on and when she heard him move she transported down. Down in the tunnels he found her though she hid well.

He approached, "I must know…" he hesitated but finally pulled her out, "is she still out there?"

She was very uncomfortable and he couldn't help a sad smile as he watched her trying so hard not to look at him.

The mixture of emotion on her face revealed everything. She didn't have to say it. She was trying so hard to avoid looking at him.

"Are you sure?" he was trying to hold himself together.

"Jolinar buried her."

He took deep breaths and leant against the wall for a few minutes before sitting down at her feet on the floor weak and cold with grief his face in his hands.

"Oh god, Martouf I –"

After a moment he looked up into her eyes which were filled with a great need to comfort, with sympathy and regret but he couldn't tell her he was alright, she wouldn't believe him anyway, the blood had drained from his face, it was frozen in shock and there was a soreness in his dry eyes.

"Is there somewhere…" she asked.

He stood up dazed and gathered his bearings before offering his hand to lead her through the corridors to a dim room connected to his quarters. There were no doors, but there was a crystal partition wall between two corresponding doorways. Inset in the floor was an oval swimming pool of irregular shape which they walked around to sit on a large padded leather bench by the wall.

He let go of her hand and knelt down at the edge of the pool to drink some cold water from his cupped hands and wash his face. He got up and sat next to her, leaned his head back against the wall letting the water slide down his neck.

He turned his eyes to see her sitting very still and staring at him and wondered whether the Tok'ra did seem strange to her after all.

He managed to speak, "it's not a complete surprise."

Sitting in silence he held every memory of Rosha, the joy of their love now sharp splinters tearing out of his heart.

A little while later he tried to talk again, "Its quite pleasant in here."

"Yeah," she whispered.

"Traditionally the baths wouldn't be so private but we've adapted the system due to the danger of heat signatures being detected. The water can only be made warm so steam isn't a problem to our belongings in adjoining rooms," he knew he was babbling.

"This is more like a swimming pool than a bath."

"As our numbers decline… accommodation here becomes more… luxurious…" he trailed off wiping a shaky hand over his brow.

"Well that's something, right?" she held her breath a moment then bent forward sobbing.

He cleared his head and gathered her up to lean against him in his arms.

"Do you miss her too?"

She didn't answer for a very long time, "yeah I'm starting to."

_Could it be true?_

They said no more, staying together in the room throughout the night and when morning came they drifted off to sleep lying tangled together on the bench.

On waking the next evening they meandered sluggishly into his room.

"You wouldn't mind if I take these boots off? they're not designed for this floor."

"Go ahead."

"Please, sit down," he gestured to the bed and smiled, though sadly, at Lantash's sudden outburst.

"Sorry, I'm not used to entertaining," he said kneeling to untie his boots. He pulled them off and stood up throwing them against a wall so they fell to the floor in a corner.

She opened her mouth to say something but then she saw the purple bruise with radial black veins running outwards on his calf as he turned away to toss his gloves onto a chest of drawers.

"I was chased through a rainforest a few days ago by Apophis's Jaffa," he said dismissively when he saw where her attention was.

"I think we've been there – the Nox world. But we thought they buried their gate after we left."

"The ah… 'Nox' may have more than one world in that case."

"That would make sense with their control over the gate."

"What control?"

"They seem to be able to operate the gate with the power of their minds."

_We owe them our gratitude._

"Do you think they are our future evolution?"

"By what Dr. Faiser tells me: human evolution is impossible since all genetic mutation is destructive."

He sat down on a low table opposite, "What do _you_ think?"

"Mathematically speaking… she's right."

She was going to leave it at that but he nodded for her to go on, "Well, for even a worm to be formed from an amoeba 39x10 to the–" she stopped to yawn, "power of 20 alterations are needed in its genetic code. That would take ten trillion years to produce at a rate of one change per second. That's about 500 times the age of the observable universe.

"For an ape to evolve into a man its 3X10 to the power of 520 changes.

Stretching her toes, "the total volume of the universe in terms of the diameter of an electron isn't even over 10 to the power of 124. Its… beyond all imagination," she said, eyes sparkling.

Her passion for the subject was infectious, "they must be a different species then."

She smiled for a moment thinking, "Daniel would disagree with you on that, I think. He believes we might have an untapped power within us that would be capable of what the Nox have achieved. The only problem, he says, is that we don't have the language to understand and develop what we have in any real way… He'll be over the moon when I tell him it's not all lost."

"I understand what you're saying, but Nirrti has been working with… its not easy to describe. What do you call the twisted strands of … biological instructions?"

"DNA."

"Ok… she's trying to attach information to the DNA."

"Who's Nirrti?"

"One of the lesser Goa'uld system lords."

She nodded, "a virus?"

"I think so. I don't know for sure."

"But anything like that would result in cancer or dea…" she raised her eyebrows, "Oh."

"Yes, its not really an issue since she has a sarcophagus."

"So it works?"

"No, I don't believe it does."

"Why's that?"

"I only wish I knew." He touched the side of his head, "Its all in here. Somewhere. Lost."

He paused, "do you know what its like to be searching within yourself for the rest of the pieces and realise they probably lie a galaxy away?"

She bowed her head, smiling, "yes!"

"You have to go back," she stated surely.

"To have all the pieces," Martouf said to her.

"I know."


	13. Resolve

Thirteen

Resolve

Sam abruptly excused herself from the Tok'ra guests' company leaving Daniel to play Cluedo with them and headed to General Hammond's office.

"Sir, I need to go off-world," she said coming to stand at ease before his desk.

Hammond set down the file in his hands, "please, explain, Major Carter."

"Martouf has left the Tok'ra to returned to the world where he was taken host by a Goa'uld. I believe he's in danger."

"So you want to rescue him?"

"I… not exa-… well essentially: yes."

"We're only just met the people and you want to go… I can't authorise this."

"Sir, with all due respect I _need_ to go."

"All the same, Major–" "Sir, I need… I can't…" she sighed, "there's not a lot of time."

He emphatically stated, "I will not allow it."

"Sir, you have to," she told him.

He stood up, "I'm warning you, _major_, for the last time: I will not allow it."

"There are other ways-"

"Godammit, show a little dignity!" he yelled.

"There's no time for dignity," she retorted with a steel glare.

He sat back in his chair, eyeballing her transformed demeanour.

"Enough. You know what? You're off active duty. Go home. Dismissed."

For a second it looked like it was over.

"No, _you_ know what?"

Sam sprinted straight down to the control room, slowing as she neared the twisted iron stairs and walked in with a smile.

"We ready?" she chirped to Siler.

"Major?"

"It's time," she said simply.

His expression clearly said "for what?" and he was about to ask.

"General Hammond called you… I was there," she said confusedly.

"Um…" he frowned again, "Oh ok… sorry. Which… was it again?" he asked hesitantly.

She chuckled, "here," and leaned over him to type in the co-ordinates.

He repressed a sigh of relief at being let off the hook and blushed at the wink she sent him as she breezed out.

"I'm already late, Siler," she yelled slipping down the stairs.

He complied in record time so as she stepped onto the ramp the blue light burst out then settled into calm ripples.

"The signal is sent," he confirmed over the PA.

But then as Sam reached the surface O'Neil came crashing into the control room and clicked on the PA.

"Carter!"

Her heart beat wildly. She dared not acknowledge that she'd heard. Dared not turn around. So she walked though.

On the other side the sun was shining and a low breeze swept particles of sand into a mist. Sam was met by Aldwin and hoped she wouldn't offend him by asking point blank.

"Where's Martouf?"

"My apologies, but I do not know."

"Ah, ok. Um, is Ren'al around then?"

He smiled warmly, happy to be of assitance , "yes she is. Ill take you to her," he led her though a series of tunnels to the doorway of a lab where Ren'al stood poised over a set of crystal displays. She turned to them, having recognised the sound of their footsteps approaching down the corridor.

"Major Samantha Carter, I did not expect you back so soon."

Sam smiled in response to Aldwin's goodbye and entered Ren'al's lab.

"Same here. Oh by the way, do you happen to know where Martouf is?"

Ren'al's face took on an amused smirk at the answer, "mmm, yes I do."

Sam waited.

Ren'al just continued enjoying some private irony as she worked on one of the displays. When she looked back from some more calculations on the crystals, Sam was still waiting with a carefully trained expression of curiosity and the beginnings of intrigued amusement on her slightly tilted face.

Ren'al dropped her hands to her sides and confided, "he has gone to Teirkar."

Sam ran the name through her neural database but didn't come up with anything.

"Who's that?"

"Not who."

"What?"

"_Where,_" Renal corrected.

"Where then?"

"It is a located in a system beyond the Eqiria Delta."

"The Eqiria Delta?"

"Yes. You have not been there? Very well," she said and gestured Sam follow her over to another set of displays. Ren'al activated one of them and a hologram flickered on above it depicting a river of stars forking out into a softer milky way.

"Teirkar," she said pointing to a bright star centred in the haze beyond the mouth of the delta, her hand passing through layers of the image.

"What are the co-ordinates?" she asked trivially.

Ren'al manipulated the controls and the image zoomed out substantially before six stars brightened from the darkness and their symbols appeared illuminated above them. Sam took her time committing each one to memory.

"So you have the results to our experiment already I take it," Ren'al asked eyebrows raised in question directing Sam's keen attention away from the hologram.

Sam's replied a brief, "yep," and glanced back hoping to catch a last glimpse of the co-ordinates. Alas, the hologram had faded away.

Ren'al pressed, "may I see them?"

"Huh?"

"May I examine your results."

"Oh," she swung her backpack forward and rifled through as though looking for something, "my… lap-"

_No, its too big._

"…ah _palmtop_ must have fallen out on the way here."

The Tok'ra did not look impressed.

"I'll just be a minute," she said pulling her pack back into position and rushing out. She ran a little but reminded herself that moving too fast would call unwanted attention. She was unable to slow down much though – so scared.

Seeing the transporter rings ahead she knocked into a passing Tok'ra and turned to say sorry as she walked on. The words stopped in her throat when she saw who it was.

"Sam?" her father stared at her in surprise.

The Tok'ra colleague he had been in conversation with left with a slight bow, obviously seeing her awkwardness.

"Dad," she tried to greet him with a smile but ended up looking like a teenager on the verge of guilty tears.

He slowly approached her, "what's going on?"

She managed eye contact but wouldn't answer

"What are you doing?"

"You'll find out," she was looking away.

He pleaded, "talk to me, Sammie."

She cast her eyes down and shrugged involuntarily. "Dad, I have to go. I'll be back… _soon_, ok?" she touched his cheek with her fingers for a moment.

When he opened his mouth to speak she was already standing within the rings, a second later consumed by its golden beams of light.


	14. Teirkar

Fourteen

Teirkar

The gold medallion shone proudly against casual black robes so similar to Teikar's in style which caught the light as Lantash strode quickly down from the platform. He was taking everything in, on guard, he felt he was being spied upon.

The hall, once again sentinelled, was now filled with the light from a high chandelier so bright that everything stood out clean and sharp. Nothing was obscured by shadow and there was nowhere to hide. None of them made a move to stop him as they stood relaxed.

_The fort has been reclaimed. This is a good sign. There may still be answers for us here._

Behind him the gate shut down but immediately fired up again and when it opened a group of diplomatic couriers passed him on either side, letters in their hands, into the chamber ahead to join a group chatting calmly there, which as he came closer could be seen were standing around a desk where an officer was noting them into a traffic ledger.

_Decision time._

At the end, before that next chamber, stood two guards by a passage. They turned to look at him strangely for a very long moment… then they nodded respectfully and continued their conversation disregarding him almost completely.

_Lets take that passage._

_You're an idiot._

He walked straight past them into the passage not looking back.

_If we make it to the next turn alive, I'll kill you._

'_When'_, Lantash corrected.

As he walked there was a barely audible scape close behind, separate from the noise of the crowd. He almost swung around, it was incredibly difficult to continue at a casual pace. He waited until he was close to the turn and focussed on the reflection in the dark polished wall ahead. He saw only his clear silhouette cut out against an empty passage.

This was the long passage he had come though to the gate room before so he knew where he was to some degree the rest of the fort remained a mystery he wasn't sure he'd get a chance to unravel. It just didn't feel right. Something was going to go wrong and Martouf wondered why he'd felt coming back was so necessary.

_We're in too deep now. It we don't find out what happened to you this will all have been for nothing. _All_ of it._

Lantash continued,_ we came to Teirkar to find out what's going on and this time we will._

He headed up a narrow black spiralling staircase having previously decided to start searching the upper, most closely guarded levels first. Lantash took quick light steps two at a time, wary an alert would would be sounded soon.

The worst possible thing awaited him at the top.

On the last step it came into view. A grand hallway indented with countless identical, closed doors which seemed to stretch forever in each direction.

Lantash silently swore their head off to the tune of, _Of all the… evil… those… bastards… annoying… just BRILLIANT!…_

_I don't remember this,_ Martouf thought quietly.

_Well whatever we're looking for _must_ be here, I cant think of anything more fitting._

Martouf searched his tired memory exhaustively and ultimately in vain then stepped up the first door and pressed the lock pad next to its frame which was a DNA identifier. It glowed red. He went to the next one. Again the lock glowed rejection. And the next and the next.

_They're all locked._

_Lets try the second and third last one._

_Hey lets even try the last one. Wouldn't that be ironic._

_That's a long way to walk._

It didn't turn out to be so far after all. the passage wound around after every twenty or so doors and he soon found himself back where he'd started. He'd touched every pad while walking backwards to watch the red lights pulse on. Back at the stairs the first lights had gone out and he stood for a moment unsure before returning down to the passages below.

Disoriented for a moment at the base of the stairs, he considered the problem of the locked doors from a mathematical and architectural perspective and soon found himself wandering distractedly through yet another unfamiliar passage.

Hearing the scrape of a boot he rushed into a storage room and for a moment saw himself, in his minds eye, walking at a deliberately slowed pace to a rectangle of light cutting across the gloom.

He clamped his hand over his mouth to muffle the cries of pain as the wound in his head swelled and he was leaning, almost falling forward and crouched down placing his palms flat onto the floor to brace himself as Lantash withdrew into a healing trance.

Martouf felt a hand fall onto his shoulder…


	15. 

Fifteen

…He threw it off and spun around opening his eyes, struggled up onto his feet again.

The youth gasped and crumbled forward onto his knees in submission.

Martouf wheeled around looking for the officer in charge while the youth stared up at him dumbly. There was no one else in the room so he got out of there while he was able to.

He ran quietly to an alcove in the left of the way. Pressing back against the wall he edged to the corner and glanced down the empty way zat in hand. He couldn't have been more confused by his situation.

He ran about 50 meters away to the next alcove staying close to the walls.

It pressed heavily on his mind, _why hasn't he caught us yet? Why has he remained only watching up until now?_

Tiring, Martouf was becoming more and more unsure of how to deal with it.

The halls smoothly bronzed to gold and he snuck into a silent but lit chamber which he'd passed before.

A vast red valley spread out rising around him. He found himself standing at its the lowest point. In a hazy illumination a swarm of wild jackals materialised ahead charging at him fast, the dust and wind swirling in a cloud around and before them. He could run, he thought, but the cloud flew up and hit him in the face. Though it wasn't felt he flinched. The jackals split into two groups passing by him on either side as one with orange light in its eyes parted them and growling rose before him into the form on a man equal to him in height and strength. The figure stood looking into Martouf's eyes through the visor of his black metal helmet.

Martouf backed up, uncertain of what the figure would do next, but heard a feint sound not of the illusion and there was a man standing in the doorway behind Martouf.

"My lord," the man said and knelt stealing a brief glance up at him with welcoming, alert eyes – a very high ranking officer.

Martouf regarded him, judging him as no immediate threat he placed his hand over his heart in greeting and close to his weapon hidden within his casual clothes.

"You want to see Torres?" the man more suggested than asked. Martouf was compelled to follow as the officer lead him out of the chamber and down another staircase to the doors of another chamber and handed Martouf a weapon.

"Do not hesitate."

Martouf looked to him then fixed his attention on the doors as the plain youth swung them open.


	16. Kaya

Sixteen

Kaya

The doors closed and Martouf found himself standing behind a tapestry hung out a little from the wall. He pushed it aside with his arm to see a congregation room spread out, full of courtiers gaping in shock. They moved away from him, crowding around the walls as he walked out onto the floor, subconsciously stowing the weapon they had surely seen. Behind the masses of people at the far end of the grand hall he saw a man standing on a dais staring at Martouf with hands clasped, white knuckled, on the arms of the ornate chair he'd stood up from, eyes glowing but apparently no longer the centre of attention.

_That must be him._

He looked over the crowd, debating without Lantash's aid whether to shoot without hesitation as he'd been advised.

In the midst of the frozen many who seemed unsure of what to do, most stood casting their eyes back and forth between him and Torres, elders were bowing and the rest were whispering. He saw Desamina and Elio standing together before his eyes locked onto a pair of startled blue eyes.

He gasped.

_Samantha._

She was trying to escape his gaze, to sink into a crowd that was now aware of her presence and push sideways towards the exit. He followed with his eyes as the people parted to let her through.

He realised he had made a scene by staring at her so. Snapping out of it he also realised the danger he'd put them both in, quickly he walked up to Torres and was about to kneel but Torres yanked him out of the room pushing and shoving him until they were out in the streets below the fort.

Martouf didn't utter a single complaint. It was preferable to escape as many spectators as he could, so he let himself be driven to the outskirts in silence. Neither of them spoke until there was no living being in sight. The day was over by the look of the dark clouds gathering overhead in the expansive sky that reached in every direction to burnt red grass plains. The grass and shards of rock scratched at his legs and the fresh smell almost overpowered his senses, worsening his condition.

Torres paced briskly forward, limping slightly, from where Martouf stood and then turned on him with a zat. Martouf's was already in his hand but he didn't fire. Neither did Torres.

His face blank as a mask, "you should have stayed away."

Martouf began cautiously, "my lord, forgive me. What did I do that was so bad?"

Torres scoffed, "I'm in awe of your accomplishments. I really am. You have such a résumé."

Martouf needed to know all that Torres knew about his past.

"That expression!" Torres shook his head in astonishment, "you just- you're… a clean slate!

"To find you at that widow's house and you didn't even know who you were," he said backing up. "It was the most ridiculous thing I could think of to get you to contact Anubis. To send you to Apophis' hunting grounds with a message for Anubis!"

Martouf kept his mouth shut hoping that Torres would vent more -- everything.

"It was the absolute, most stupid thing I could think of. And truly I wasn't going to go through with that farce, but then you agreed! And you were grateful. I couldn't believe my eyes." he laughed but somehow looked strangely sincere. It was something about his boyish features, they suggested a total innocence – he could get away with murder.

"What did I do?" Martouf pressed moving sideways a little, trying subtly to avoid Torres' aim as much as he could but it tracked him with ease.

"This is a beautiful weapon."

_Is he changing the subject?_

Martouf looked it over as Torres' hand tilted it a little to catch the dim sunlight for his inspection. He now saw that it was not dark grey, but black and glistening, obviously somewhat modified, more angular in appearance.

"You should recognise it… but you don't." He armed it, "I have no idea how it actually works, what it does," he confessed.

"So I put it on the highest setting…" he sounded almost apologetic. Almost. "You shouldn't have come back."

"My lord-!" Martouf interjected.

"I can't. I won't," emotion explicit in his voice. "You deserve this, brother. I always supported you, Kaya, and I have nothing to show for it. Nothing to lose."

"I'm not -," he started but Torres fired. His voice ground out harshly, "Just because you don't remember all the pain you caused doesn't mean you aren't responsible for your actions."

Martouf flinched, his eyes staring ahead for a moment. Then he looked down and found the wound was at his heart. It didn't look right. Under the burnt fabric of his shirt his skin was not broken. The blood was seeping right through it. He looked up at Torres in confusion, demanding an explanation.

"Don't look at me. Its _your_ weapon."

Martouf's eyes flashed.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Lantash barked. "I'm not you brother!"

Torres was confused long enough for Lantash to arm and aim in a fluid motion, "and _this_ is my weapon."

His hand shook and he misfired to the left as he dropped the zat. He ducked down to grab it up again. His knuckles couldn't bend. He couldn't feel his right side at all.

Torres looked as surprised as Martouf, and remained aiming warily, in case he was being bluffed and Lantash would try a fast move.

Lantash grimaced as his leg went limp and he couldn't move it to support himself and he crashed into the sharp blades of grass in searing pain.

"We've switched places in life. Now you're left in the cold."

All Lantash could see was the thundering sky above. Then he saw his homeland, his closest friends, coloured crystals, the Tok'ra, landscapes sweeping by and Rosha.

The wind swept around the figure towering over him silhouetted in the light.

"Now I am Lord of Teirkar. I will lead our people as you never could."


	17. When it Rains

WHEN IT RAINS 

The lord stood over Lantash. The sky opened up and torrents of rain poured down from black clouds. The day turned cold and bleak. The lord went away quickly, back to the fort, driven by the bad weather. 

Sam ran franticly to Lantash. As the heavy raindrops hit the ground hard splashing mud over Martouf's face and skin, she knelt down and pulled up his head wiping the grit gently, lovingly off his face with her hands. She looked at his wound and cringed. He'd been shot through and through. Her eyes stung; she closed them and wept. 

His warm blood pulsed out over his body and the soaked ground. He shivered then smiled as he looked up at her. 

Someone precious, slipping through her fingers like water. 

His breathing came in gasps, his eyes turning up. 

"Lantash! Can you hear me?" 

He forced his eyes back down to look at her forlorn face. 

"It doesn't hurt" he whispered as she looked over him. 

"Not even a little?" 

"Not even," his body shook violently. 

"You're a bad lier," she accused trying to appear calm. 

His smile was genuine as he chuckled, but he closed his eyes. She couldn't help but use the moment to kiss him softly, as though she could draw the pain from his body. 

She lifted herself a little, waiting a moment, expecting him to open his eyes again eventually. She watched, waiting in terror for what seemed like an eternity. 

"Lantash?" 

Not even a flicker. 

"Martouf?" 

She tentatively placed her fingers against his neck and felt complete stillness as her eyes searched for movement in his features. 

_He's gone,_ a scared voice within her whispered. 

She shook him. 

_It can't be true._

Again, shaking roughly. 

_He's gone._

"Martouf," she pleaded. 

_He's not... alive. He's DEAD._

She broke down on the ground. 

_It's not fair... It's not fair. I can't go on. I can't breathe without him near. Without him. Without my love. _

_My love is gone. My Lover..._

_I'm nothing._

The same dirt he lay dead in covered her face and hair splashing up in the bruising rain. 

_This is my place. Lying dead beside him._

It was freezing cold, pitch black. She lay over him drawing his arms around her and held his body, feeling the little warmth that was still in his lifeless limbs. 

She kissed him deeply, her passion rising. 

_Is this kiss a trespass?_

She imagined the happiness that they would now never have. She needed him. It wasn't fair. 

_MURDER!_

She clung to his skin like a wet leaf. 

_MURDERED!_

Trembling as his arms slipped off. 

_MURDERED!_

She found his zat in the grass and picked it up. 


	18. Caught

CAUGHT 

Briefly caught up in wonder at the grandeur of the place, the loftiness of the ceiling, the general's steps resonating off the thick parallel stone columns as he pulled her along to face the Lord. She broke out of his grasp, her pace quickened by determination, by fury. The general hesitated too long before going after her. 

Sam struck Torres while he was still frozen in confusion about the challenge in the brief flicker of her bitter smile. 

Her every muscle tensed, all of them forcing her hands into an iron grip on the lords throat, energy running through her arms to his neck as he fell from his throne, mesmerised by the inferno in each blue eye. 

_Take my life. Take me with you. Take me with you, you son of a bitch. Take me with you so I can drag your soul into hell! _

Why are you giving in? fight me! 

She collapsed down the steps with the dead weight and gradually, over some time began to relax her hold. 


	19. Paradise

PARADISE 

Sam felt a dizzying weightlessness, she could tell she was lying down though. She opened her eyes and found herself on the silkiest bed and pillows imaginable. The lavish room before her spread out to open balconies over looking the sea which allowed a breeze to flow with orange blossom perfume through the gauzy curtains around the bed. 

_I must have passed out._

As she got up her royal blue gown, which was a little too fitted and long enough to reach her feet, caught the golden sunlight and she couldn't believe how good it felt to wear a dress. Famished she forgot everything else when she saw a small round table in the centre of the room laid out with fresh fruits. She held one of the figs up to her mouth and ate it slowly, only afterwards seeing him move on the other side of the room. 

He was sitting still and simply watching with an innocent curiosity that turned to voyeurism as she licked her fingers. The game was up, though, so he crossed the room, dressed in the same fabric, an Egyptian style wrap, looking absolutely perfect. Sam was speechless. 

"I tried to stop them," he said, "but it seems they must gild everything," he ran a hand along her shoulder and looked at the feint sparkling silver on his fingertips, "almost everything." 

The servants had dressed him that way and subtly bronzed his skin with pure ground gold and olive oil. She could even see it through his hair. The medallion didn't look out of place against his flawless, bare chest. 

"Do you know what you did?" he asked gently. 

The weight of it came upon her and her balance faltered in dizziness as he held her upright, watching her expression intently. 

"Yes I know. I know what I did." 

"Samantha," he repeated her name to regain her attention, "Samantha, it's alright. He was not innocent." 

"I'm not sorry." 

"Neither am I," he said letting her go as he thought. "There was something wrong with him... you know that right?" 

She didn't know what he was talking about. 

"I knew it when he looked at me, out there in the field. He wasn't my brother anymore. Torres never moved like that and it wasn't just the injuries. He shouldn't have taken a captive as host. I guess he just didn't know any better." 

"Where are we?" she asked. 

His eyes sparkled, "my room," he grinned devilishly. 

"How did I get here?" she asked curiously. 

"I don't even know how I got here. I only just woke up." 

"Where did you sleep?" 

"Where did _you_?" he said raising his eyebrows. 

She froze staring at him and tried to wipe the trying-to-remember-if-anything-interesting-happened-the-night-before look off her face. She decided on a more important question, "Are we alive?" 

He looked down at himself and then around the room, then turned back to her smiling, "I don't mind if we're not." 

She was charmed. 

She blushed, "my god, Martouf, I've never seen you look so... and you've never talked to me that way before. Or looked at me..." 

"I've never felt this way," he admitted. 

Unable to take her eyes off him, she subconsciously leant in. He looked even more radiant, if that was possible. 

"Is Lantash there?" 

He moved in close, "yes." They didn't switch over, though. 

"Then who's that standing out on the balcony?" 

"No-one," he said not letting the question distract him from the desire at hand. He hadn't noticed anyone out there anyway. 

She slipped her arms around his body and they simply stood that way together, relaxed. Then he tilted her head with his hand and kissed her as passionately as she had kissed him before. 

"If we are alive will you be my queen?" 

Her head fell back as she laughed, "What a cad!" 

"Don't say that," he growled seriously, "Its not true." 

She caressed him tighter and lay her head onto his shoulder, revelling in the feel of his skin. She was soon overcome with annoyance, though and broke free, rather forcefully -- he was reluctant to let her go just yet and his gorgeous features took on an insolent scowl as he followed her out into the balcony to see who was there. 

"Oh, that old thing!" he continued to scowl and threw a careless arm over the statues shoulders as though it were an old pal. 

"Oh my. That's disturbing," she said, only half teasing, walking up to study it. "You know, I almost thought you and Lantash had split into separate bodies for a moment there," she grinned and for a long time stood there until he went and grabbed a sheet off the bed and threw it over the thing. 

_Jade eyes._

"Tell me, your father didn't know about your blending before he came to us; when did you tell him about Jolinar?" he said as he moved to the railing taking her hand in his as she joined him there. A beautiful, colourful parade was going on down below in the city. 

"UhÉ" she chewed her bottom lip, "he was a bit upset... apparently Selmac found out first." 

"What was he upset about exactly?" 

She chuckled and walked over to a bench to sit down and he followed after putting a large ceramic jar upside-down over the sheet on the statues head. "Everything." 


	20. 

Lantash's ears perked up at that, "what do you mean 'everything'?" he asked, eyes flashing. 

"I don't know... just... everything." 

"He does not approve of me?" 

"I guess not," she smirked. 

"What are his reasons?" 

"I have no idea." 

Lantash relaxed, she obviously meant what she said. "But why do you think--" 

She interrupted, _"Martouf_, have you figured anything out yet, have you remembered anything?" 

_Interesting, isn't it, Lantash? How did she knew to interrupt now or you would harp on incessantly about it?_

"Actually, I have," he said enigmatically, pleased she had both asked _him_ to talk to her and dismissed Lantash so easily. 

"So you did find something," she said enthusiastically. 

"Someone, a General to be specific. He believes I am still possessed by Kaya so he readily told me of Torres' attempt to seize power over this land. Torres organised a coup meant to kill me. Well, he was not thorough enough the first time and the general was never really on his side so when you came back for Torres he didn't stop you. 

"Unfortunately the guards did not know anything about all that when they found you there... and they had seen you around here before," he looked to her with a regretful smile . 

After a while he broke the silence, "Do you feel different?" 

"About what?" 

He stared at her a moment. "The sarcophagus..." he finally prompted. 

"...what?" she said like she was certain he had been referring to something else. He realised she may have thought he was asking how she felt about him. 

"It's not so bad, Samantha. I feel different. Don't you?" 

"No...yes... why?" 

"Maybe it doesn't have to matter this time that they used it on us. I think we need not tell anyone." 

She looked surprised and mused. 

He continued, "they wouldn't understand, they don't know what we've been through." 

He had become so serious all of a sudden and she didn't want to disappoint him so she agreed, "It won't happen again." 

"Not very likely to, is it?" he smiled. 

They'd both become pensive. 

A question occurred to him, "What where you doing in the court?" 

"Just browsing, trying to blend in, which thanks to you was impossible!" she shot, punching him in the arm. 

"You shouldn't have followed me." 

"We both know you couldn't possibly handle a mission so dangerous all by yourself," she teased, biting her lip to keep from laughing at the look on his face. 

_Let me out!_

"Lantash is rather furious with you," he said, feeling a mixture of revulsion and amusement at the turmoil going on inside. 

"Yeah?" 

_'Yeah?' The Woman is begging for an audience with me, Martouf! Do not deny her any longer. _

He sighed, "I'm sorry, Samantha, but as a Tok'ra I could not justify myself standing in his way at this particular moment." 

"Then I'd better be going if I want to avoid the 'fireside chat', see you later!" she said jumping up and hurrying away. 

Though she got a head start while they switched she lost the time with by getting lost straight away and wandering into the control room. He walked in calmly. Had her cornered. Until, of course, seeing the alluring threat in her eyes, he unwittingly stepped forward onto the rings and they flew up around him. 

He rolled his eyes. 

_And so _ The Feminine Manipulation of the Male _begins._


	21. Suspicion


    AN: the parts are shorter lately because I'm posting sections as I finish them rather than entire chapters.

* * *

      
SUSPICION 

  
He waited a second until he reached the floor to transport straight back up again. By the time he got back the room was empty and eerily silent, she was out of sight, and the hope for her to be waiting for him in his room lured him to the doorway. When he reached it was greeted by the sound of the rings slicing through the floor behind him. 

"So she wants wider playing field." 

He spun around and headed for the control panels. Bringing up a holographic screen he watched her run through a colonnade and serene, open air courtyards, the sleek dress rippling with her movements. She stopped at the crossing paths between the flower bed and checked behind her and not seeing or hearing him coming stopped and waited, alert. He sealed the surrounding areas, checked all the views of the garden, entered a few commands, deactivated the display and headed back down. 

She'd ducked into an ivy covered alcove. Maybe it was his heightened senses from the sarcophagus because he hadn't seen anything but he knew it instinctually. Equally silently he crept up to the corner, reached around and grabbed her arm which slipped free easily as she ran the other way and bumped into the force field blocking the exit into a corridor. She slammed her fist into it and its interlocking scales shone for a moment then disappeared. She put her back to it and glared at him. 

He smirked and spoke as though to a child, "Look, Martouf! A butterfly has caught in my web. See how she flutters as we near," he spoke quietly coaxing her away from the barrier. 

She pulled him down to her by the chain around his neck but he looked up past her with an expression of interest. 

"General Ganev," he said to the man on the other side of the force field as he placed his hands on Sam's bare shoulders to pull her away protectively. 

He addressed Lantash respectfully, "I'm sorry, My Lord, Anubis wishes to speak with you," and left them. 

Their eyes snapped onto each other, minds calculating at warp speed in the adrenaline rush for what seemed to be the longest time. 

_Anubis will destroy the planet if he sees that Samantha is here._

He focussed himself and then whispered into her ear, "Wait for me here." 

She nodded, didn't say a word and watched him walk slowly back to the rings and to transport up. Their eyes met with blank expressions as he took his place on the floor then disappeared, in a daze. 

He strode into his gold control room and activated the link. Anubis' black form appeared instantly before him. 

Lantash cast his eyes down humbly, "My Lord," he said, his voice steady but his heart racing. 

The cold voice behind the mask said, "we have not spoken in a very long time." 

_ Remember what happens to Tok'ra posing as high ranking Goa'uld?_

"Why have you kept the Tok'ra host this long?" Anubis demanded. 

He looked up, "My Lord, there is still much to be learnt." 

Anubis seemed to settle a bit, "What have you learnt already?" 

Not knowing what had been said before, Lantash started at the beginning. 


	22. Explanation Time

      
EXPLANATION TIME 

He came running into the courtyard, wearing ivory coloured linen pants and shirt with a long, heavy, dark grey coat, and pulled her up from the stone bench, "Lets go for a walk outside," he whispered. Now aware that Anubis' focus had turned to him, he was fearful that their previous conversation may have been overheard somehow by someone within the fort. 

The lush grass swayed in a light breeze around dirt paths he knew from memory. They had gotten caught up in the celebrations of his return as they tried to sneak through the city square and Lantash was still annoyed at all the flower confetti that stuck to his coat and was throwing pieces onto the ground as they walked. 

There was an urgency in his tone, "You have to get back to the Tok'ra as soon as possible. I have told Anubis too much. Warn the council immediately upon your arrival. I will take you to the gate room tomorrow. 

"After your return I am uncertain of what will happen here so I must tell you some of the things I have found out. I should start at the beginning since you have not been briefed. The mission nine years ago that brought me here is of no interest, suffice to say, the council had heard that there were medical experiments being conducted here so I was sent with Aylin and Misra and we infiltrated the army. For a few years we were entirely successful but then I got into a fight. The antagonist, a soldier called Elio, accused me of espionage, which I'm sure he thought he was a lie at the time. My Ôteam mates' were soon caught. They were... " he shook his head in anger and pain, "the scientists extracted our symbiotes. I can't remember anything much after that, and I wouldn't know that fact at all if I had been the first restrained on that operating table... 

"There is a room here where rebel symbiotes are kept in stasis and that is where I found Lantash after Kaya's murder." 

He took a moment then recounted of the events after he awoke in the gold chamber, from his search for Lantash to his arrest on Tollana. Then he skipped ahead to the last few days. 

"Ganev sent me to assassinate Torres thinking I would succeed easily due to the state Torres was in, emotionally and physically. In reality Torres was more dangerous than ever, somehow he'd lost all self control and he strongly desired to kill me. If Ganev had known that, he would have planned better." 

Sam frowned, "are you sure of that?" 

He stopped, "what do you mean?" 

She tugged at her dress caught in the rubble as she came back from a few steps ahead of him on the path, "Are you sure he didn't know? Well, why would he care? I mean, the other guy was your _'brother_' and he didn't seem to have a problem doing that to you." 

"True," he did begin to wonder if she could be right about that, "I don't have any evidence that this is the case with the general yet, though." 

Lantash hesitated awhile as something occurred to him, "no, I think you're right about the general after all." 

"He's out to get you?" 

"He shot you, Samantha, and I can't reconcile that with what he said about wanting Torres dead all along." 

There was a contemplative silence. 

"Be careful." 

"Never," he winked. 


	23. 

A/N: this ::symbol:: indicates the PA system.

* * *

EXPLANATION TIME Pt. 2

* * *

"Never?" she repeated. "Bullshit, I've seen you be careful."

"Careful gets you killed," he said, but she wasn't paying attention any more. She looked confused. "What?"

"Nothing, I was just looking at this. What is it?"

"Kaya's royal medallion... or something. I can't seem to get rid of it."

_I kinda like it._

_Figures._

Sam turned the medallion over in her fingers. The mirror image indented on the back wasn't quite the same. The snake was different. Its mouth was open.

"I think its a key!"

"How can you tell?" he asked taking it to examine again and noticed what she had, "I see. you must be right."

"Of course I'm right! Daniel would be proud of me."

"And I have a feeling I know where to use it."

Lantash sensed Kaya's communicator -- now his -- activate and held it up to see the glyphs glowing on its surface. He read the message silently to himself.

"It's the general. Something's wrong."

Samantha came up to look at it from over his shoulder, "what's going on? What does it say?"

He quickly replied to the message and told Samantha, "its says I Ômust return immediately'. I've demanded an explanation." He mused quietly, "why didn't The General send an escort?"

They waited a long few minutes, exchanging somber looks. There was no reply.

He glanced to her. She nodded. They took off running.

As he pulled off the path to shortcut across a meadow he heard her unsteady steps slow and glanced back to see if she keeping up. She'd disappeared. In surprise he tripped and rolled into the grass. It was too long to see anything.

"Samantha?"

She jumped up close by holding a slipper in each hand, they grinned to each other then she hurled them back over her shoulders into the meadow, and ran over to pull him up by the hand.

The meadow ended on the grey hill where the fort stood. Lantash ran out into the shadow of the fort, crushing shards of rock under his boots.

"Stop!" he yelled back but she was standing next to him.

She stood completely still, her expression a grimace staring straight ahead. There was blood on the rocks under her feet. He lifted his own boot and saw the shards had fixed like nails into the heel.

"I'll give you a lift back," he punned not wanting to make her feel weak and lifted her with apparent ease.

A strange realisation came to him as he trudged quickly up the steep hill.

_It feels wrong to be carrying Samantha. She's so much more enchanting when she's standing on her own feet._

_Because that's her nature._"  
  
In the forts outer wall a small door opened to a stone room where a group of soldiers were relaxed. The men stood to attention as fast as they could.

"What is going on?" Lantash demanded.

They didn't know what he was talking about.

"I received an emergency message."

The soldiers' weapon hands twitched but they remained dutifully staring ahead.

Lantash considered a moment then nodded his head slowly, "Go. Be discrete, don't alert the other men."

Lantash swept through the next set of doors and motioned two guards into the outer room.

"Seems to be business as usual," said Sam, "must be a management crisis."

"Yes," he said meaningfully.

As he headed up through less used rooms Sam was catching glimpses of the people at work in the other rooms.

She whispered, "The servants are all boys?"

He replied in hushed tones, "orphans, some will remain servants, some will prove themselves and become soldiers."

"The other night the hall was full of women."

"That was the celebration of the men's return from their tour of duty. Only the healers here are female."

"Is that because of tradition... or superstition?"

"That may have something to do with it."  
  
Lantash burst into the main hall which was brightly lit and Sue was seated on the throne. She eyed him with silent calm.

The General appeared at the centre of the floor and confronted Lantash, "you have been found out."

As he glared cooly at Lantash Samantha's enthusiastic voice sounded through the hall over a PA, echoing.

::So you did find something!::

::Someone, a General to be specific. He believes I am still possessed by Kaya so he readily told me of Torres' attempt...::

Lantash was reeling, he glanced quickly back and forth over The General and Sue, sizing them up and flexing his fingers as his own words filled his ears.

::We both know you couldn't possibly handle a mission so dangerous all by yourself.::

::Lantash is rather furious with you.::

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?" Lantash yelled over the private moment.

_They have no right to have listened to this._

Neither The General nor Sue said a thing as they watched him.

::Yeah?::

::I'm sorry, Samantha, but as a Tok'ra I could not justify myself standing in his way at this particular moment.::

"Sholva," The General mouthed icily, his eyes glowing for a moment.

Lantash twitched. His mind flashed back to the mutiny. He realised the General had been there and done nothing to stop it.

_Lets kill him._

_Yes._

He almost did, there and then, but he thought again.

"You want this planet."

The General shook his head and gestured to Sue, _she_ does. So I have informed Anubis of your true intentions and he will be here very soon. I suggest you leave."

"You're lying."

"Do you want to take that chance?"

"Maybe another time... So what are your plans?"

Sue mused, "oh, start some community programs, overhaul the education system, that sort of thing."

"Commendable" Lantash wiped the smile off his face when he saw the look of disbelief on Samantha's face, "I guess we'll be going," he backed out of the room with Samantha. Once outside they rushed up to Kaya's bedroom to get her bag with the GDO and walked back to the control room where he stopped.

"Go quickly."

"What?"

"I'll watch," he moved to the console, "I'll make sure you get there."

"No, you're coming!"

"This is the only way you'll escape. He won't let us both go. It's just a trick."

She was silent for a moment but then she shook her head, "I'm not leaving then."

"You cannot chose my life over the lives of all the Tok'Ra."

"I already have."


	24. Behind Door Number One

BEHIND DOOR NUMBER ONE 

"...Besides: never be careful. What's good enough for you is good enough for me."

He dipped his head slightly, "You know I didn't mean that."

She shrugged one shoulder and her expression was apathetic, "my decision is final."

He became stern,"no, Samantha,"

_Yes_, Martouf."

Lantash took over, "Samantha."

"Lantash," she replied stubbornly, setting her jaw and holding her head high.

A wild look came into his eyes which froze into a calm resolve. He raised his weapon.

She kicked it from his hand, "I'll protect myself, thanks, even from you."

He shook his head somberly and reached down for his zat. She kicked his hand again.

This time he grabbed her arms, twisted them behind her and spoke quietly in her ear, "I don't care how I have to do it, but you're leaving this planet as fast as I can throw you." His grasp loosened a little, "this is your last chance to leave in a dignified manner."

"You're the one who's going to be walking funny," she growled and stomped on his foot, shoving him against the wall. "You'd better accept it the fact that I'm seeing this through to the end, or I'll be throwing _you_ through the gate, comprendo?"

He easily pushed off the wall, "I'm at least twice as strong as you."

She scoffed with a wicked grin, "But not nearly as smart. Its obvious to both of us you need me around to protect you from yourself."

"There's nothing more you can do here, and an infinite amount of duties you should do back home."

"This is the kitchen where it's cooking, Lantash. Need I remind you who cracked the code?" she cooed, flicking the medallion with her nail. "So now will you stop wasting time so we can find out what's inside?" she said shoving him backwards.

He glared into her eyes, "the first chance I get... you're gone."

She sneered and pulled down hard on the chain until their faces were almost touching, "Same to you."

His face lit up with amusement.

The chain snapped and she held it in her fist, high, the medallion swinging fast like a pendulum. "Now which door does this open?"

He snatched it out of her grasp, "follow me."

.  
  
They reached the black spiral staircase and Sam started jogging up them then turned around when Martouf remained below.  
  
Not up there, he smirked.  
  
She opened her mouth to ask where then? but didn't. She simply rejoined him at the bottom and he led the way, deliberately slowly because he knew what she was about to see would be worth the suspense.  
  
The halls bronzed to gold once again and though all was very dim Martouf could make out the hot desert light already up ahead.  
  
What is that? Sam asked curiously, squinting to see.  
  
When they entered the room, this time, the victorious hologram army was waiting in the full midday sun, the dust of the skirmish had settled, the wind now a gentle breeze. The Jackals were posed perfectly, lying on the ground in strict formation and the figure of the man removed its helmet and dipped its head. It was an exact replica of Martouf.  
  
Sam stood still, taking it all in. Her stillness betrayed a mind working at warp speed to conquer new technology. I'm noticing a theme here... she quipped looking at the apparition of Martouf... or rather, Kaya.  
  
Were you still hoping Kaya wasn't a narcissist?No, but I've been wondering about you since I've been here, she grinned.  
  
Martouf offered a wry smile, and held the medallion up by its chain to the hologram. It spun slowly through its identical counterpart, the instant the two aligned it stopped frozen, suspended in place, close to indistinguishable from the illusion.  
  
Surprised, they circled the figure. The apparition drew a ceremonial dagger. They jumped back. The apparition threw the dagger. Threw it into the stone floor. Then it spoke with Lantash's voice.  
  
Enter now.  
  
They didn't know how. Samantha searched for a right place to stand, or a right stone to push, Martouf stepped into his identical counterpart image but nothing happened. He couldn't remove the medallion now either. Samantha tapped the dagger with her zat and blinked. The zat had disappeared right out of her hand.  
  
  
  
He looked just as she grasped the dagger handle and was gone.  
  
He reached down for it immediately, hitting his head on the medallion along the way and swearing.  
  
Next thing he knew he was standing in a Goa'uld laboratory lit with infra red. Samantha was across the room peering into a jewel case with a large creature inside.  
  
What is that? he asked warily.  
  
_I hope that's not what it looks like..._  
  
The creature struck the inside of the glass, Samantha jumped and pointed her weapon nervously.  
  
I don't know... Its not a normal symbiote... Its huge.  
  
He really didn't want anything to do with this situation but as he approached his fears proved true.  
  
It's a queen.Kaya was breeding symbiotes using this female.  
  
She stared at him wide eyed, scandalised, she swallowed So are those your offspring?, she pointed to the swolen belly of the queen.  
  
He looked at her strangely, Uh... no. You've got things a little mixed up.  
  
_That would be a really... really... bad... scenario, if it were possible,_ thought Lantash.  
  
Except for the reddish, black liquid in the tank the room was deathly silent. He noticed rings on the floor and pulled her into them transporting to a connected room.  
  
The walls and ceiling were completely covered in grotesque and complicated, apparently interlocked fluid forms of scaled, black metal. Each indistinct unit looked to be about an arms width across and high.  
  
Have you been here before?I think so.What is this place?An armory.Those are the weapons, she said incredulously.  
  
More than weapons, I'd say.Is it safe? she reached out for the center hub of one of the forms. As her hand touched it the machine buzzed, powered up and pushed outwards from the others. Its own scales became distinct from those around it. The scales covered smooth, snake-like tentacles which reached out, sending Samantha stumbling away fast from fright, zat aimed as it released from the wall, dropping agilely onto the floor. There it was clear that the machine had a body design based on some kind of a dragonfly with six tentacles to use but no wings to fly. It Lay lifeless as though dead.  
  
That energy output came from the wall, he observed, grunting as he strained to turn the body of the thing over for closer inspection and finally succeeded. It's almost as heavy as you. he quipped.  
  
She mumbled under her breath, how would you like to be tied to it and dropped into the sea.There must be something around here to activate this. Well there's a panel on that wall  
  
He found what he was looking for on the controls.  
  
Martouf, I've got a bad feeling about th- she started, but he'd already activated the processors.  
  
Quickest way to figure all this out since we don't have any time left to speak of.  
  
She shook her head in warning and scoped out the room continuously.  
  
I only activated one, he reassured her as he felt a current flow into the room.  
Sixteen machines pushed out; the glass floor receded from the walls towards the two of them. The machined dropped down the gap making a splash far below.  
  
Oh, sh- she whispered. you activated _one company_!  
  
Martouf frowned at her pensively and edged to the gap, peering down.  
  
His eyes glowed, Red water.  
  
She took a few deep breaths and readied her weapons.  
  
From far below them began the sound of trickling water sliding off metal and scrapings up the wall stones. The scraping grew closer and louder. Shards and rock splinters rained into the pool below. Black claws wound over the glass on all sides and clamped onto it with a far stronger than iron grip.  
  
Samantha fired on all of them as many times as she could. It had no effect.  
  
Lantash put his hand down over her zat and shook his head, better not.You can't be serious!  
  
He simply shook his head again, pointedly. When they looked away from each other the machines were at full height, taller than Martouf, climbing the walls, slinking over the inactive machine and around Samantha and Lantash with red orb eyes in their lifeless faces.


	25. Splinter Faction

SPLINTER FACTION

"Kree!" Lantash ordered hesitantly.

The soldiers did not to respond at first but soon their eyes dimmed and they obeyed with deference. When he commanded them to speak they released pure symbiote shrieks. He asked them who he was and they answered.

"Our Lord."

He asked them what could kill them.

"Nothing."

He barely noticed Martouf considering what an incredible opportunity it was, _One we can't pass up, Lantash._

Lantash took a moment to disagree, _It's too great a risk to use them in any complex plan while we are under the watchful eye of Anubis._ He sent a silent prayer that Anubis be as yet completely unaware of these creations.

_There is someone _here_ we could 'have removed'._

Walking her away from them he whispered, "Samantha, I need your help after all."

"Hmm," she was not impressed but she listened.

He handed her his communicator, "This is Ganev's password. I need you to use it to disable the surveillance on the upper levels and erase the recordings back to yesterday."

She warily walked between the soldiers to the rings and was gone.

He told them to kill General Ganev. They opened doors in the walls and left through them, by following he found himself in the circular hallway. He would return to the control panel later and find out just how many mechanical hosts had been made.

.  
  
One of the new soldiers activated the doors and they all slinked into the General's private quarters to find Ganev with Sutiana. Lantash moved through his soldiers and looked them over.

"When did you two meet?" Lantash teased.

Their eyes snapped onto him and confusion flooded their expressions at the sight of the new weapons. Only Ganev didn't look surprised. He told Sue to leave but the mechanical soldiers barred her way and she backed up to her former position, watching nervously, though standing tall as ever.

"Who do you think you are _now_," the General bellowed. "Kaya? Sholva? Someone else this time? Or... have you finally admitted to yourself the real reason you're back?" he sneered pressing forward. "Is it painful... finding out that you aren't so much better than us after all? You probably even told yourself this is just about finding out what's going on here."

Lantash simply eyed him coldly, "I admit that I will take pleasure in watching you die... but I haven't stooped to your level."

"No, You've fallen beneath even Kaya's! Now that's really something. Indeed, he may have dreamed these things up, but you're going to actually use them."

"Yes, I am! And how fortuitous of you to be standing in my path," with a sneer Lantash signaled the soldiers forward. Ganev pulled out his zat not aiming for the threatening forms but for Lantash. The shot was deflected by Lantash's personal force field.

"Ganev is right, and you know it. You _have_ become worse than Kaya!" Sue screamed pushing past the General, her tone filling with wrath. "Is this how you woke up and you were hiding that rotten disease of a soul from me the whole time, living in my house? How long did it take to go to your head?" she was shaking with shock and rage.

"You didn't recognize me?" he asked incredulously.

She seethed, "I hate politics."

"What a contradiction you are," he smiled grabbing her as she tried to attack him. She didn't like the look in his eyes and tried to pull away. He held tight until she stopped resisting then threw her to the floor and stepped back, signaling the soldiers to execute them both. Both were backed up to the wall. Their arms, held out to defend themselves, were gashed across by the metal tentacles.

"Now," Ganev gasped haltingly, failing to defend himself, "how are you going to argue your superiority to the Goa'uld?"

"Arguing is such a waste of time."

The soldiers drew up their arms dealing the death strikes with absolute precision. Rupturing Ganev's brain, lungs and heart, erupting a spray of blood from his ribcage as they withdrew from him, leaving his body a bloody, lifeless mess. Sutiana lay prone, in the same state. Their dark, thick blood ran off the glossy metal, the soldiers and their host components already prepared for their next task.

.  
  
Samantha checked Martouf for wounds and became perplexed. She wiped her hands down her dress soaking it with blood. She finally spoke, "you're not hurt. What happened?"

"I won."

"You 'won'," she repeated with uncertainty. "Where are they?"

"In the grand hall."

Her eyes widened, she turned the surveillance on and gasped, reeling into shock, trying not to hyperventilate. He turned it the image off.

"You did that?"

"No, those things did," he said impatiently. He regretted his harsh tone the instant he saw her surprised expression.

She steadied herself and looked into his eyes shaking her head in confusion, "you didn't order them to do it?"

"I did, but-" he reached out for her but only left deep red streaks where his fingers grazed her sides as she paled and turned away. He sighed.

She spoke somberly, "none of the things we've done here can come to any good. We've got to get out of here... before things get even worse," she picked up her stuff and headed down to the gate room with him. When they got there he watched as she moved to the DHD. She glanced at him then stopped for a second, longer look at him, "What is it?"

"I'm not going with you," he said.

She stared at him for a moment, "why?"

"This is too important to leave."

Her eyes widened, "So you've decided to go over the council's head on it?"

He shrugged, "the council can do what they want. For now I'm staying here and I want you to stay with me," he said gravely.

"You know I can't do that."

"Think about it."

"Martouf-"

He calmly interrupted, "just think it over."

Before Samantha could respond Martouf's communicator lit up. He looked at her pointedly, "it's Anubis, I must respond."

"Please, Martouf, just come with me," she pleaded.

Moving up to her, Martouf took her hands, "I'm sorry, Samantha." He kissed her slowly and passionately. "Think it over".

He activated the gate and left without looking back. Samantha sent her signal to the Tok'ra, took a deep breath and walked through the gate.


	26. It's Over

Twenty Six

It's Over

Late at night in the Tok'ra tunnels, Sam arrived weary but wired. She pushed through the groups of people outside the council chambers and found her dad overseeing a heated discussion between the scientists. She approached politely.

When he saw her he broke away without a further word to them and grabbed her, growling as he wrapped her up in a strong embrace, "how dare you run off like that!" He was looking her over, still as distraught as when she'd left for Teirkar. "What happened to your feet? Are you ok?" he asked forcing her along to her quarters to sit her down so he could use the healing device on her feet and check her chemical levels.

She observed him hesitantly before she spoke, "we have to talk."

He snickered, "damn straight, we do! You have a lot of explaining to do."

She leant back on the bench and described everything that had happened. Somewhere along the line Jacob had started pacing. He stopped.

"You can't go back there."

"I know, dad."

"It was wrong for him to ask that of you."

Sam looked up, "he wasn't wrong to ask."

"Sammy," he said taking hold of her shoulders and forcing her to look him in the eye, "he was wrong."

After a moment she sighed, "do you understand why I can't hold it against him?"

Jacob let go of her, stood back and shrugged, "you have feelings for him."

"More than feelings, dad. I love him."

There was complete silence. It was so quiet because Martouf and Lantash were too focussed on the problem at hand to be aware of anything else. They simply stood staring through Martouf's reflection in the mirror. In less than an hour Anubis's ship would loom over the fort to destroy everything — Ganev had gotten a message through to Anubis after all.

Again Martouf left the room and passed through the grand doors to the map room. With so little time he needed to clarify his remaining options. He glanced through the maps as he had done many times, this time throwing them to the floor. He couldn't take them with him. Nor the weapons. There was nothing at all worth the trouble of taking.

He dropped into the chair at the table, resting his head in his hand and tried to clear his mind of everything so he could go over what he knew and what he'd learned. After a few minutes he jumped up, passed the shelves of Canopic jars and raced up to the control room ordering everyone back to their quarters for an immediate inspection... but they would be waiting a very long time since he locked down the fort and everyone within it. He went to the hologram chamber, entered the lab and activated the control panel. All the metal bodies crashed onto the glass floor together and struggled in a tangle before losing their residual power. One by one he dragged them onto the rings then into the map room.

_Tok'ra first._

He couldn't find any.

_Sivkhet, then. She should be all right. _

He placed her jar on the trolley and opened it to pull her out. He held her over cockpit of the closest machine, stretching out her body to fit inside the mold. She was suffocating in the air.

_Oh, no. Not again!_

_Water, Martouf!_

Martouf scanned the room and saw a water cooler. He tripped over himself to get there, grabbed glass half filled it and rushed over to slosh the water over Sivkhet. Her writhing slowed as the cold water slowly trickled through the machine.

"Use the machine as your host!" he said as the cockpit automatically closed around her.

The machine lay still. It hadn't worked.

_Don't panic, Martouf. We have to keep trying. Who else do we recognise?_

_I'd rather chose someone I don't recognise-_

_Ashaban of Ptaba, _Lantash interrupted_, only I can't remember if I know his name good or bad reasons. _He took over and chose Ashaban's jar, this time he filled the cockpit with water first and coaxed Ashaban into it.

_Perhaps these simbiotes are not young enough..._

He turned around and jumped in surprise. A machine was standing up, moving around cautiously.

"Sivkhet."

Her red eyes looked over him and the room, "who are you?"

Martouf placed himself between them and the gate, his mere presence commanding silence. Then made his announcement.

"The universe has changed since you were last aware. If you want to live follow me! Those who accept must obey me."

Slowly, he looked them over then walked through the event horizon and his feet landed on sandy steps. A staff shots aimed from the dunes hit his personal Goa'uld force field but he continued until his feet were upon the sand.

Not far behind the soldiers were forming a very large group. All had accepted his offer. They scattered around surrounding the Tok'ra sentinels, quickly picking them out of the sand and throwing them to the ground unarmed and, as yet, unharmed.

His eyes flashed when he caught sight of Garshaw and Selmac approaching swiftly with backup.

"I have not come back for a slaughter," Lantash announced.

Jacob eyed him coldly. Lantash knew to watch his step. After only a brief moment Samantha appeared above the scene, and ran down to greet him, ignoring the orders barked at her by Jacob.

Lantash swept her up in his arms and returned her fervent kiss. When they stopped to look at each other Lantash moved her to his side as the Tok'ra advanced towards them to take him into custody.

He armed his weapon aiming at them, "_that_ is not what i came for either — I only came for one thing," he said looking at Samantha. "However, if anyone here wishes to join me and my cause they may do so now."

The Tok'ra stopped, awaiting further orders from Jacob and Garshaw who were livid.

"Samantha, will you come with me?" he asked her softly. "It wasn't all for nothing, we've found a way to free symbiotes from stasis!

"We can't do it from here. The council takes too long to act. If we don't use this opportunity now, regardless of where it may ultimately lead, there won't be a future for the Tok'ra at all," he suddenly turned to the others, "did you hear that? This is the way. The only way.

"You can leave at any time you want, Samantha, so come with me now."

She had to take it all in. Her lips parted as she thought, eyes moving over everyone and settled on her team nearby. O'Neil was too shocked to speak. Daniel no less affected, his fingers flexing as he tried to form words. Teal'c had been studying the soldiers pensively and now met her gaze steadily. O'Neil and Daniel bust into argument simultaneously, their words indistinguishable.

"This is an incredible opportunity," she cut in, "for everyone. And it could be just what I need,"

They stared dumbfounded.

"God, Sam, can you just give us a minute to think?" Daniel said.

O'Neil cut him off, "if you go now don't expect to come back!"

At that Daniel gave him a withering look then spoke to Samantha, "you need expensive equipment and resources, Sam, you won't get that if you run away with Lantash."

Martouf spoke up, "On the contrary Dr. Jackson, I have means of getting what I want."

"Look, it's not about that, Daniel. This is revolutionary," she said pointing at the soldiers. "If it doesn't work, if we can't make anything beneficial... I'll know that I tried my best. I can't do any less. I can't pass up an opportunity like this and live with myself. Maybe that means I really am _not_ the same person since Jolinar." As she looked at Martouf smile formed on her lips. She continued to her friends, "I will come back... at some point, if only to see you guys."

"Not if you're dead," O'Neil said.

The validity of his point was obvious to her, "yeah the risk is higher, but so are the possible gains... hopefully they'll outweigh the risks."

Daniel shifted feet, looking away into the desert, hands on his hips, "you've already decided."

"No, forget it! We're going home now and that's an order. Daniel, Teal'c, bring our stuff up."

Martouf touched her arm, "this is not working. Are you sure this is the way to proceed? I don't want animosity between us and your friends and family. I should not have asked you yet, under these circumstances, I see that."

"If I go back with them I won't get another chance to see you. Not after what I've done already. _That's_ the chance I'm not willing to take. What other choice than this is there for us?"

"Very well," he took a deep breath and cast his gaze over everyone, "those who wish to join us, come now and serve under my command."

"We will not be here when you come back, Sam," Selmac warned.

"I'll find you," she said, then looked around trying to imagine the full weight of her decision. She walked over to her team and smiled affectionately. She faced Daniel and he struggled to hold eye contact, his jaw tense.

After a moment he relaxed and gave her a hug, "I'm gonna miss you Sam, a lot. Promise you'll come and see us."

"I promise." She turned to O'Neil, "I'm sorry, sir, I wish I could give you more time... "

He remained stern, "you have the option to, Carter, if you really do wish."

Her eyes narrowed in thought as she tried to say more, tried to explain so he wouldn't be able to hold it against her. At that moment that seemed like the impossible. She couldn't accomplish it then and there anyway, so she wished him well, said goodbye then turned to Teal'c.

He looked down on her with the hint of a smile, "you will not be getting rid of me so easily, Major Carter. I will accompany you."

Her eyes widened, "oh! Well are you packed?"

"A warrior such as myself has little need for survival gear.... however should you require yours I will gladly retrieve it for you."

"Thank you, Teal'c," she beamed then moved to her dad as Teal'c started back to the rings.

She didn't say anything at first, simply gave him a hug. He did not let go.

"Dad, you're hurting me!"

The tone of her voice made Martouf rush forward. So did her team but all were hesitant to act. Teal'c certainly would not place himself between a father and child.

"Ah, Jake... a girl's gotta do," O'Neil said coming closer.

"This girl aint gonna do _that_ as long as I'm around."

Martouf had hoped things wouldn't go this way but he was the only one who would be able to stand up to Jacob with brute force. Sam was struggling to get free without hurting her dad. It was time to act.

"Release her immediately!"

Jacob glared, "get lost kid. You're not welcome anymore."

Martouf took a deep breath and became completely still and silent. He was about to make the most difficult decision of his life. He would risk losing Samantha forever.

He ordered his soldiers forward to retrieve her, "do not hurt either of them."

Sam stared in disbelief, struggling harder, "dad, let me go."

"You think you can take her away from me like this? You know nothing of love," Jacob yelled but Martouf did not take back his order.

Two soldiers quickened through the sand knocking aside those Tok'ra who stood in their way. One grabbed Jacob from behind, captured his hands and slowly, gently but irresistibly loosened his grip on Samantha. The other carried her back to the gate.

She was unable to run free, "Martouf, no, I have to stay!"

When he reached her he looked at her sadly, "the damage has been done, my love."

The soldier carried her over the gate steps. She called back, "I love you, dad. Don't worry about me. I'll take care of myself."

It wasn't clear if he heard her, he was shooting at Martouf.

"She will be protected, Jacob," Martouf said following.

"Indeed."


	27. Without You

Twenty Seven

Without You

It was almost dawn. They hiked up the valley and when Martouf was satisfied they'd found an area completely safe they set up camp by a creek where the gate was still within sight far below. The soldier put Sam down onto her feet on the grass as Martouf and Teal'c headed to the water.

She caught up with them and matched their pace, "I can't leave dad out there looking for me. Who knows what could happen."

Martouf squatted to run his fingers through the current, "he can take care of himself, just as you will take care of yourself. Besides, the council will put a stop to it before long," he handed her his Goa'uld chemical analyser.

She activated it and used it on the water, soil and rocks, "I hope you're right."

Lantash ordered the soldiers into the forest for timber and other natural building supplies leaving Sam with Teal'c at the campsite.

Teal'c spoke some time after Lantash was gone, "Major Carter, do you truly wish to be with your father on the Tok'ra world? I believe there is still time before their evacuation is complete."

She shook her head, gazing into the forest.

By darkness the soldiers had built a log cabin big enough for everyone with a stone fire place and chimney. They then began digging a ditch in the center of the floor.

Lantash soon returned with a small, dead mammal draped over his arm. Dinner. Samantha and Teal'c tried to identify the species. No such luck. At least it smelled edible on the fire.

"It's a shame we could not bring more for you to work with," said Lantash taking a breather, he'd been thinking about it during his hunt. "Soon we'll have a tunnel and some chambers, then we'll be able to make metal and glass equipment and store supplies."

"Sounds fun."

Lantash looked around, "where are the others?"

They scanned the room. The soldiers had disappeared.

"I think they have gone into the forest to hunt," said Teal'c.

"To hunt what? They eat?" Samantha asked.

Lantash was apologetic, "I'll tell you after dinner..."

She looked alarmed, "Lantash."

"After we eat, Samantha."

"I'm not going to eat until you tell me!"

"Very well! I warned you," he snapped, crossing his arms. "They require fresh blood to access nutrients. I noticed that before when the Goa'uld ones... butchered Ganev and Sutiana. That's why there was so much... gore."

She realised her mistake, "I should have waited."

He smirked and made her sit next to him by the fire.

"I guess I can deal with that. Don't expect me to get much sleep tonight though."

Lantash laughed but withheld his cheeky comment, "the biggest problem is that we can't tell them apart."

"Indeed," said Teal'c emphatically.

A silence settled over them. Samantha broke it with a yawn. Exhaustion was setting in.

Martouf and Samantha slept through the day and woke up in each others arms with smiles. They found themselves alone and lying at the edge of a very deep hole, its makeshift steps descending into darkness.

While they freshened up at the creek a flicker of seriousness in Samantha's eyes caught Martouf's attention. Then he found himself staring. She gave him a questioning look. He wasn't sure how to approach her so he didn't seem to register the look until he turned his palm up for her to see. There a small red crystal winked in the late afternoon light. She came over to him for a closer look and saw that it was a heavy ruby, trillion cut, on a band of sapphires set in platinum. She looked it over and held it up between two fingers tilting it just enough to see that there was an inscription.

"What does it say?"

He looked into her eyes, "_My Love for all Eternity_."

She froze with the look she got on the rare occasion when she stumbled across a magic sequence of numbers with mind-blowing potential. Finally she asked, "What does that mean?"

His expression of pure and utter devotion faltered, "what?"

She took in a breath, "for a Tok'ra, what is that a symbol of?"

"I mean you to value it at what it symbolises in your culture. As I understand, it is a question... and a promise."

She wasn't quick enough to hide her giddy delight from him and his dazzling grin broke through his uncertain suspense. Martouf gave her a hug and kept his arms around her waist as they stared out over the water.

After some time of silent contemplation, Samantha spoke, her voice sounding far away, "how can you leave your people?"

He thought about all the many things stacking up against the Tok'ra, the low morale, crooked allies, new Goa'uld advances. Most of all, however, he needed a change from the Tok'ra.

"I want to take the best of all worlds... and make a world of our own in the process.

"This is the only way I have to do that. As you said, it's an opportunity that may never come again. Over my time with the Tok'ra I've learned how to live without things which I once considered necessary to get through the day. This time I'll be getting by without the Tok'ra."

"Without regulations and unspoken boundaries as well," she mused, beginning to move in some kind of slow dance which pleased him very much.

"Anyway I haven't given up what I really need."

Her steps guided him into the water, "and what would that be?"

"I couldn't have gotten this far without you. I need you, Samantha," he held her face in his hands and looked into her eyes.

What he saw was a beautiful future.

Fini


End file.
